Somebody Has to Stop Him!
by The-Big-Show1
Summary: It's finally finished! Set in Season 10, Peter and Ruthie uncover a huge scandal, and each other - and it goes back and forth between the two. Adult content, multiple slashes may offend. Please R&R, no flames please.
1. Summer Camp

Chapter One  
  
It was a hot August summer's afternoon in Southern California, and Eric and Annie Camden were enjoying some time off. For the first time in ages, there was no one at home. Of the remains of the family, Lucy and her husband Kevin were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with their children; while Sam and David were spending a couple of weeks with their paternal grandparents and the twin's uncle, George Grayson. Matt, Mary and Simon had long left the house and were either married or in long-term relationships of their own. Annie and her husband were making the most of it, doing things they hadn't dared tried with each other in ages.  
  
Also absent from the home was the youngest daughter, Ruthie, who was now fifteen years old. A talented amateur artist, she had earned a scholarship to attend a 10 week-long summer arts camp. The camp was co-educational, and she really enjoyed exchanging artistic ideas with other people from across the country, both women and men; who showed promise in drama, music and visual arts. She was getting the chance to work not only on painting, sculpture and photography (which had become her favorite medium), but also on her vocal and dramatic skills - guided both by masters of the various craft and the "up and comers."  
  
One of her fellow campers was her best friend and boyfriend of more than two years, Peter Petrovsky. The two shared a very special bond, because they were both gifted and because they were able to have intelligent conversations about almost anything. They felt especially close to each other when it was their turn to baby sit Lucy's children, as it made them look forward to the time in the future when they would be having kids of their own. It was only a question of when and not if, because for their second anniversary as a couple back in February, Peter had gotten Ruthie a "promise ring" made of white gold. She refused to take it off even when Lucy and their parents urged her not to make any long-term commitments that she would regret later.  
  
During the first eight weeks of camp, the two had also become rather frisky, making out in all sorts of places on the compound. It was a wonder neither had gotten caught. It was rather difficult for them to carry on their relationship at all.  
  
The male and female campers were in segregated cabins, on opposite sides of the common areas where the groups met for classes, meals, swimming, campfires, chapel services (the camp had Catholic, Protestant and Jewish chapels, each with a full-time chaplains although all three offered counseling services to all campers regardless of faith), and other related activities. Peter and Ruthie understood fully the reason for this separation; but they were the last people who would ever harass each other, sexually or otherwise. And, if they saw something untoward happening between other campers or between a camper and his or her counselor, they'd be the first to blow the whistle.  
  
Still, it didn't stop them from thinking about what lay beneath the proverbial "velvet curtain." After all, they were human beings; and having entered physical adulthood two years ago, they were wondering how much longer it would be before they would give in to temptation and lose their innocence, especially now that they were far from home.  
  
It turned out to be that night, at the end of week eight. There was a group meeting between the counselors that would last the entire evening, and the campers were being monitored by the CIT's: Counselors in Training, although the students derisively called them "campers in training," as many of them had never been to a camp in their lives.  
  
The campers were doing various activities. Some were doing sports such as canoeing, sailing, baseball; others were building campfires, and others were searching out subjects for drawings or photographs. They all adopted the "double buddy system;" each area with a minimum of two campers and monitored by two CIT's, one male and one female. This went on for about three hours. As the teens were preparing to go to bed at ten o'clock, a security alarm sounded. Someone, or something, had apparently breached the perimeter.  
  
The procedure was standard: the campers were gathered up and brought to the field in the middle of the common area, with the halogen lamps surrounding the field were turned on at full blast. A head count was done, and everyone was accounted for, or so it seemed.  
  
Ruthie and Peter, having achieved so many goals, decided they needed a day off and got permission to go to an amusement park about an hour's bus ride away. They had signed out, lanterns in hand (it was getting pretty dark by this point of the evening), and were getting ready to leave to take the bus to a hotel where they'd spend the night (in separate beds, they had agreed) before spending the next day at the theme park; when they learned the transit union had staged a wildcat strike. Disgruntled, the two returned to the campground but had forgotten to report back in to headquarters.  
  
Ruthie and Peter were walking past HQ and the mile-long road through the woods towards the women's cabin areas (the men's were another mile away; the campers usually went around the extensive campgrounds in golf-carts, but even they were in storage for the evening.) They heard the alarm, and the call to report to the common. They were on their way, when they noticed that one of the women counselors had left her cabin door ajar.  
  
Figuring this was just another chance to make out; they snuck in, closed the door behind them and started kissing. About ten seconds later, they stopped, looked at each other, and gave up the pretense that had been building for two years. They quickly undressed each other and starting kissing each other all over, and within five minutes, Peter and Ruthie had become one human being. Twenty minutes after that and sweating buckets, they finally stood up, dressed up, said "I love you" to each other over and over; and after wiping each other clean and finding a fresh change of sheets and blankets in the closet, destroyed the evidence of their lovemaking by throwing the smoking gun into the dumpster which just happened to be right next to that particular cabin.  
  
The alarm turned out to be false: a deer had tripped the invisible fence. The campers were allowed to return to their cabins. It was then that Peter and Ruthie remembered that they had to check back in. They walked back to HQ, still amazed at what they had done. The sex wasn't as great as either had hoped, but they did love each other and since they were so far away from home, this was as good a time as any.  
  
And there would be no way either Peter's mother or Ruthie's parents would ever find out, because she had taken the extra step of bringing with her gear a couple of packages of the "morning after pill," which her uncle, Dr. Hank Hastings, had dispensed to her at her insistence. In fact, she wasn't going to wait till the morning: she would take one package as soon as she got back to her cabin while her cottage-mates slept, and the second first thing in the morning to be extra certain.  
  
But there was something different in the way they walked together and held hands now, using their free hands to carry their lanterns to light the way, for now it was pitch black. While they truly respected each other as equals and of course loved each other, they could never truly understand until tonight what it was like for "the other half." Perhaps they were a little bit closer to that, but the way each viewed the opposite sex had changed forever. They weren't sure how but it had and things would be very different from now on.  
  
Having reported to HQ, Peter and Ruthie walked back to the women's cabins. By now, nearly everyone had reported back to their cabins and lights out was to kick in fifteen minutes hence. The couple stepped on to the porch of Women's Cabin 9, and they were about to say good night to each other when two other campers, came up to them: a young man and woman, both seventeen, and twins. Their names were Rhiannon and Malcolm. By a coincidence, they attended the same high school as Peter and Ruthie; in fact, they went to the same church that Ruthie's father shepherded. The two lovebirds cringed. Had they been found out?  
  
Well, they had, but the siblings promised they wouldn't say anything despite the honor code. After all, they pointed out, many other couples, both long-standing relationships and newly formed ones at the camp, had done the same thing all summer. It was tradition. In fact, the brother and sister each had acquired during the summer a girlfriend and boyfriend, respectively, from amongst their fellow campers and both had lost their virginity, too. But that's not the reason why the siblings wanted to talk to Peter and Ruthie.  
  
"Well, then, what is it?" asked Ruthie.  
  
Rhiannon and Malcolm looked at each other nervously. They weren't sure how to say what was on their minds. But they had to tell someone.  
  
"Ruthie, Peter," Rhiannon said finally, "it's Frank, one of the drama counselors, and a teacher at our high school. After the morning session two days ago, he asked me to stay behind. He locked the door and all the windows, and, um . he touched me where, well, I've only let my boyfriend touch me when I've been with him."  
  
Ruthie and Peter were shocked. Frank Henderson was head of the drama department at Kennedy High School in Glen Oak, and a highly regarded member of both the staff and the community. That didn't sound like him at all, but for now, they decided to take Rhiannon at her word.  
  
"Have you reported him to the camp director?" asked Peter.  
  
"Are you nuts?" said Malcolm. "Sharon and Frank are shacking up with each other, didn't you know that?" Ruthie and Peter shook their heads, they didn't know.  
  
"Sharon's husband and Frank's wife got caught having an affair three months ago," said Rhiannon. "Everyone walked out on each other, and for some reason, Sharon and Frank got hooked up. I can't report him to her; that would be a conflict of interest."  
  
"What about the deputy director, um, Henry?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"He reports to Sharon," said Malcolm. "How far are we going to go with that route?"  
  
"So why are you telling us?"  
  
"Because your brother-in-law's a cop, Ruthie," said Rhiannon. "I was raped, I don't have to take this, and I want to press charges against him as soon as camp is over. Can you help me with that, please?"  
  
"Kevin and Lucy won't be back until a week after we get back," said Peter.  
  
"What about his beat partner, Roxanne?" asked Malcolm. "You two get along with her, don't you?"  
  
"Sure," said Ruthie. "I won't send her an e-mail, just in case they monitor our messages. But I promise I'll write Roxie a letter first thing in the morning and send it out by snail mail; as long as you two promise you won't tell anyone about Peter and me."  
  
"You have our word, Ruthie," said Rhiannon. "We can't thank you enough. Good night, you two."  
  
Rhiannon kissed her brother on the cheek good night, and shook Peter's hand. Peter kissed his girlfriend on the lips, shook Rhiannon's hand, and headed back to the men's area along with Malcolm and the adjacent lower berths they had in their cottage, Men's Cabin 6; while Ruthie and Rhiannon stepped inside their bungalow and the double bunk they shared, with Ruthie on the top level. As the lights turned out (with only dim ground-level garden lamps now lighting the path from the women's to the men's areas) and "Taps" blared out on the loudspeakers, Peter and Ruthie fell asleep in their respective beds, both thinking about what had just happened in the last hour and a half. They had no regrets about the intimacy they finally shared, but wondered if what happened afterwards was because of what came before, or in spite of it. 


	2. The Nondenial Denial

Chapter Two  
  
Three days after Ruthie had mailed the letter, a police car from the local detachment pulled up the driveway. In the car were a local police officer, and Roxanne Richardson of the Glen Oak Police Department, who had made the long drive up to the camp. She checked in at the headquarters building of the camp and asked to see Ruthie Camden.  
  
The secretary picked up a telephone, punched a few numbers and called for Ruthie on the loudspeakers that were scattered around the camp. Ruthie and Peter were in a drama class, doing a read-through (in character) of the lead characters from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," by Edward Albee, George and Martha; with Rhiannon and Malcolm playing the other two characters, Honey and Nick.  
  
It was a very intense play, and all four thought, very adult even for a so- called "comedy of manners," as each character tried to outdo the other in humiliating everyone else. While the four teenagers appreciated the humor and could read it as a radio play, they weren't sure they'd be ready to actually act out the party games within the play, such as "Hump the Hostess" and "Get the Guests," when they were supposed to present the finished product in front of the other campers on the penultimate night of the camp. At least, they all thought, this camp, with all its educational content, qualified for two high school credits as "Personal Life Management."  
  
The foursome heard the page, and Ruthie dropped her script, walked offstage, and picked up the "Bat phone" that was linked to the main office.  
  
"Ruthie Camden here," said the young woman.  
  
"Hey, Ruthie, it's Roxanne," said the cop. Can you come to the office for a few minutes?"  
  
Ruthie dropped her voice to a whisper so none of the counselors could hear her. "You mean with Rhiannon?"  
  
"No, just you," said Roxie. "I don't want to tip our hand just yet. But I do want to ask you to come up here so a local cop and I can ask you a few questions."  
  
"Tell you what, Roxie," said Ruthie. "We're going to finish up here in about ten minutes. Why don't you grab a golf cart and ride down to Women's Cabin 9 where Rhiannon and I are bunking? Everyone else is going to be in the mess hall for lunch, but she and I can survive on the big breakfast we had this morning. No counselors will be around so there will be no overseer, no one to snoop. You can get the story from her yourself. She can't hold in herself much longer."  
  
"Okay, sure thing, Ruthie. See you in a bit."  
  
About twenty minutes later, the two cops had found themselves in a charming little cottage. Ruthie had just brewed a cop of coffee and offered them to the cops; while Rhiannon made herself some Earl Grey Tea.  
  
"All right, Rhiannon, can you tell us what happened on the afternoon of July 31st?" asked Roxie, pulling out her tape recorder and opening up her portable computer.  
  
"Well," said Rhiannon, taking a huge breath, "Ruthie, a few other girls and I had just finished our auditions for the parts in 'Virginia Woolf' when Frank asked me to stay behind a few minutes. I thought it was odd but I agreed. He closed the door behind him, and then told me that he thought of all the female campers who had ever gone through this camp, I showed more promise than any as a future stage actress. He actually said I was as good as Maggie Smith or Glenda Jackson in their prime and better than Martha Henry or Faye Grant today. To which I said that Dame Maggie was just as sharp today as she was in the sixties and seventies, and justly deserved to be knighted.  
  
"Well, Frank laughed, and said that if I stayed on the ball, he could guarantee that he'd use his connections to get me into an off-Broadway production as soon as I graduate next summer. I thought, 'this is so cool! I've always wanted to be in a New York production, and this might be the ticket to go onto a bigger stage.' But then he said there was only one thing he wanted more than anything. He drew me forward, grabbed my face, and started kissing me. I fought back, saying I didn't do that. He replied that to get into Broadway, you have to sleep around.  
  
"Well, I said I knew that, that's pretty much standard in any industry, but I wasn't going to do it here, with him. He then said that, if I didn't have sex with him right there and then, I could forget about even getting a part here at camp. I thought about it for a minute, but finally gave in, and pretended to like it. Then he made me promise not to tell anyone. But of course, I told my twin brother: there's nothing I hide from Malcolm, especially something like that."  
  
"How long passed between your consenting and completion of the act?" asked the other cop, who had still not identified himself.  
  
"Well, first of all, Officer ." began Rhiannon, and then paused.  
  
"Oh, sorry," said the cop. "Simpson. Bill Simpson."  
  
"Thank you," said Rhiannon. "Officer Simpson, I'm sure you're aware that when someone abuses his power and induces someone to have sex with him or her on that basis, there can be no consent. In this state, 'quid pro quo' sexual harassment IS rape."  
  
"Yes, I am aware of that. Sorry, ma'am," said Simpson. "What I meant was what amount of time passed between his believing you agreed to his blackmail, and the completion of the act?"  
  
"Less than two minutes," said Rhiannon. "It was all over in less than five and I didn't like it at all, compared to my other . um, experiences. It was very uncomfortable."  
  
Roxie had typed all of this into her notebook. "Would you take this pen, Rhiannon," she said, "and sign your signature on this pad right here, next to the computer? This will be your affidavit."  
  
"No problem," said the victim, taking the electronic pen and writing her autograph.  
  
"Ruthie, would you also sign as a witness to the statement?"  
  
"Naturally," said Ruthie, signing on the pad.  
  
"Okay, now, you understand we're going to have to talk to Frank about this and get his side of the story," said Roxie.  
  
"Go ahead," said Rhiannon, "but you know it's going to be 'deny, deny, deny' all the way."  
  
The two cops had gotten up and were about to leave, when Roxie remembered something.  
  
"By the way, Rhiannon," she said, "have you .?"  
  
"No, I still have my periods," said Rhiannon. "I insisted Frank use a condom. He had plenty in his pocket, no thanks to his ongoing relationship with 'Commandant' Sharon."  
  
"Okay, take care of yourself," said Simpson, "and we're sorry this happened to you."  
  
The cops jumped into the golf cart and started driving around, looking for Frank. Meanwhile in the bungalow, Ruthie hugged Rhiannon.  
  
"That was very, very courageous of you," Ruthie said. She looked at her friend, thinking she was going to lose it any minute now. But she kept her composure.  
  
"Maybe," said Rhiannon, "but I wasn't ready to talk about it now. And I can only imagine what's going to happen when they confront Frank. I'm going to be treated like you-know-what for these last 10 days." She paused, wanting to change the subject. "By the way, Ruthie, how was it with you and Peter the other night? Did you like it?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Rhiannon, but that's between Peter and me if you don't mind," said Ruthie. "Maybe I'll tell you more about it when school starts up again in a few weeks."  
  
"Okay, no problem. Sorry," said Rhiannon.  
  
Meanwhile, Roxie and Simpson had driven around the camp for nearly an hour, asking anyone if they knew where Frank was. They were about to return to the main office when another golf cart pulled up besides them. A man in dark glasses, who said he was the groundskeeper, said Frank was unavailable for a statement as he had to attend a family funeral, but that he was a friend of Frank's and described his duties. Then he stated: "I am confident that neither Frank, nor any of the other counselors, has had any inappropriate contact with any other campers or other staff members during the course of the camp session."  
  
The comment was totally unsolicited. But before they could ask any more questions, the groundskeeper had driven away.  
  
Roxanne and Simpson rode back up to the main office, thanked the secretary, and then took the patrol car back into town.  
  
"What do you think, Richardson?" said Simpson.  
  
"Well, first, I just think it's odd that the groundskeeper wouldn't give his name. Second, he denied that there had been any wrongdoing but we didn't even get a chance to ask him if any allegations had been made at all. He controlled the entire conversation from start to finish. Someone must have tipped Frank off that we were coming. I don't believe for a minute there was a 'family emergency,' and even if there was he sure picked a convenient time to disappear."  
  
"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Simpson. "Your friend sent the letter using one of the 'Special Delivery' stamps she had in her stock. No one could read that letter but you."  
  
"Maybe," agreed Roxie, "but still, the reaction of the groundskeeper was automatic, like he had memorized a script or something. It's like ."  
  
"Watergate," finished Simpson. "When Kent Clawson turned on the 'deny, deny, deny' machine as soon as Bob Woodward asked him a routine question about Howard Hunt's duties at the White House. He made a totally voluntary remark about no one at the White House having anything to do with the 'deplorable incident at the Democratic National Committee,' even though no one asked him about the break-in at the Watergate Hotel."  
  
"Exactly," said Roxie. She had read the book "All the President's Men" in high school and was absolutely fascinated by the story. "This means we may be only scratching the surface. I know it violates standard procedure, but I think we should let Frank mourn his loss. As soon as camp lets out in two weeks and Frank gets back to Glen Oak, we can call him in for questioning. My department will pay mileage for you to come out there."  
  
"No problem, Richardson," said Simpson, "but what if this isn't an isolated case? What if he's been interfering with female campers all summer?"  
  
"I don't think so many women could keep that a secret all to themselves for long, Simpson," said Roxie, picking up her belongings. "There would have been a revolt by now."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Well, Richardson, have a safe trip back, and say hi to Detective Michaels," said Simpson. "He and I go back all the way to the Academy."  
  
"I will. Thanks." Roxie left the station and hopped into her car for the long drive back to Glen Oak. Both Rhiannon and Simpson had given her a lot of food for thought. There was something more to this story, she believed, but she wasn't sure what it was. 


	3. Plotting Strategy

Chapter Three  
  
Several weeks passed before Roxanne and Simpson finally had the chance to question Frank Henderson, who during the summer had been promoted to Vice- Principal of another high school in Glen Oak, Theodore Roosevelt. While the first few weeks of the school year were hectic as always, he made time to see the cops at the end of Week Three. He flatly and angrily denied the allegations, saying that Rhiannon had an "overactive imagination" and that, in fact, she had tried to throw herself onto him several times during summer camp and that he had always rebuffed her, saying it was entirely inappropriate for a camper and a counselor to have a relationship.  
  
"No surprise there," said Roxie back at the police station. "What do we do know?"  
  
"Well, unfortunately, it's just her word against hers," said Simpson. "Without some corroborating or 'similar fact' evidence, Rhiannon is out in the cold. It's a shame because I believe her!"  
  
"Me too," said Roxie. She was about to put the file away, when she received a phone call. She picked it up. "Richardson."  
  
"Officer Richardson, it's Julie Hastings - you know, Eric's sister." Julie was a teacher at TR and also doubled as a part-time guidance counselor.  
  
"Oh, hi Julie, what can I do you for?"  
  
"Well, Roxanne," said Julie, "I need your help. A female student told me that she got called into the office for a problem. During the course of their conversation, the student says, Henderson 'felt her up.' He tried to grab her thigh but she forced his hand off of her and said 'No.'"  
  
"What's her name?" asked Roxie, hoping it was Rhiannon. If it was, Henderson could be arrested on the spot and he'd go into the hall of fame, or rather shame, of stupid criminals.  
  
"At the student's request, I can only give you a first name for now," said Julie. "It's Helen."  
  
"Okay, I'll keep it on file, but she'll have to come in and give a statement," replied Roxie.  
  
"Of course she will. But you're going to have to try to keep it quiet. Henderson has a reputation for tough discipline, and he can always fire back that he's a victim of 'enemies of the system.'"  
  
"All right I gotcha. I'll call you tomorrow."  
  
Roxanne hung up the phone. "Simpson, you're never going to believe this. Another student has filed a complaint about Henderson."  
  
"Do you think," began Simpson, "that your friend, Ms ."  
  
"Hastings," said Roxie. "Mrs. Julie Camden Hastings, the sister of the minister I was telling you about before."  
  
"Yes, her," said Simpson. "Do you think she knows about Rhiannon?"  
  
"Fat chance," said Roxie. "Julie's taught at TR for nearly five years, after she relocated to the West Coast. Ruthie's very close to her, but she wouldn't betray her friend on something like this, not even to her aunt. But I'm really worried. If two different young females, who go to different high schools and were manhandled by Henderson in two totally different settings, have filed sexual harassment complaints against him, this could be just the tip of the iceberg."  
  
"I agree," said Simpson, "but if we go back there and question him again, we might be accused of going on a witch hunt. I heard of a case in Chicago a few years back that's beginning to line up just like this one; some teachers were being bullied into supporting the accused principal, and some of the accusers recanted their accusations then withdrew those recantations saying they were under duress to drop the charges in the first place 'or else.' The accusations were true and the creep was sentenced to 200 years, although he only really got 5 to 15 since the sentences were concurrent.  
  
"Well, to top it all off, even the guidance counselor who blew the whistle got a demotion of sorts; she still got the same salary but was transferred from her high school to a primary school. That was at a time when many kids were still so innocent they didn't even know the fundamental difference between boys and girls, just that one group grew long hair for some reason. Of course today kids as young as five or six are learning about sex which may or may not be a good thing."  
  
"I'm aware of that, Bill," said Roxie, addressing her colleague by his given name for the first time, "but what do you suggest we do then about this?"  
  
"We should approach this file surreptitiously," said Bill. "You told me a few weeks back that if there had been a lot of female campers treated inappropriately by this Henderson guy, there would have been a revolt. Maybe there was something going on, but they were just too scared to say anything. Rhiannon was the first to speak up.  
  
"So maybe we can talk to her again and ask her to get in touch with some of the other campers this past summer and see if they have any stories; and to either write to her directly or to send us a letter in a plain envelope using a code name that doesn't give too much away in case the letter gets lost or misdirected. Let's call it, oh, 'Operation Black Crescent' since Henderson promised Rhiannon an express ticket to the Great White Way."  
  
"Deal," said Roxanne. "Since Rhiannon's case happened in your jurisdiction, you talk to Rhiannon; and meanwhile I'll get in touch with Helen and see if she can talk to other students at TR, especially transfers from JFK. Then they can talk to other students who are still there. I'll also talk to Ruthie, maybe other students have confided in her as well."  
  
'They'll have to do that on the sly, however," warned Bill. "One word of this getting back to Henderson and this town will be in an uproar the likes it hasn't seen since Ruthie's older sister and her friends trashed the gym at JFK a few years back."  
  
"You heard of that?"  
  
"It was front-page news even in my hometown. But I digress."  
  
"Sure, sure," said Roxie. "I'll call Julie back and see if I can set up a time to meet with Helen at school. I'll go undercover with Kevin on Monday."  
  
"This could be a very long investigation. You'd better be prepared for that," said Bill.  
  
"I wasn't prepared to have my wrist slashed by a vagrant, and I survived that," said Roxie glumly. "I know, it's not the same thing; but I survived being raped, and now I'm a cop. I'll be fine." 


	4. Bitter Afterglow

Chapter Four  
  
It was about ten o'clock that evening at the Petrovsky residence, and Peter and Ruthie were lying in his bed, both trying to exhale after a shared experience that lasted nearly an hour. They didn't any misgivings about it, for as had been put so often before, how could it be wrong if it felt right? But there was something on Peter's mind, something that he had wanted to talk to Ruthie about since the last time they had sex in her bedroom ten days before; and it had nothing to do with their relationship.  
  
Paris, Peter's mother, had taken one of her not too infrequent out of town business trips. She trusted her son enough that she no longer even left ready-made casseroles to reheat. Since he knew enough how to cook full course meals for himself, she told him to bake whatever he wanted as long as he cleaned up afterwards. He really didn't have to be told that since he made dinner at least once a week for himself and his mother already and always left the kitchen spotless at the end.  
  
Ruthie, meanwhile, had done so well in the freshman year of her high school's gifted track (which Peter was also in), that Eric and Annie agreed at the start of the year she could for the sophomore year stay out of the parsonage until eleven o'clock, the city's official curfew for minors. Before, she had been expected to report back in to the manse at nine unless she was out with another family member. They really had no problem with her going over to Peter's because he was just as witty as she was and they were at the top of their class year.  
  
Annie and Eric trusted their youngest daughter enough not to do anything ill-advised; in fact they still didn't know that Ruthie and Peter had become lovers. But she was also much more mature at fifteen than either of her sisters had been, and at least as much as Matt was. If she did have sex with someone, it would be right for her, although they hoped she would remain "pure."  
  
Paris on the other hand, knowing how much Peter loved Ruthie, suspected long ago that her son might become sexually active with his girlfriend. Although she wanted him to remain celibate, she was realistic about the situation. She had long ago left a box of condoms and other tools in the top drawer of his bedside stand, with the agreed-upon understanding she'd never go looking through it to see if he had used them. But if Peter ever needed a new supply, he'd let his mother know with a password; a series of words that he would slip into a normal conversation so no over hearers would know what he really meant. Only Ruthie knew the secret code, and why he selected them.  
  
The words he chose were "How about those Dodgers?" (or "Kings" if it was hockey season), although he really didn't like either sports franchise. He was more of a soccer aficionado and thought it was well past time that America's big four sports (baseball, basketball, American football and hockey) adopted a system of promotion and relegation just like they had in European soccer. Why should a perennial loser continue to be in the big leagues, when a minor league team might be superior, he thought?  
  
For baseball, for instance, drop the worst three teams at the end of each season down to AAA, and promote the best three AAA teams to the Majors; and so on down the line to swaps between the AA and A levels. It would mean making all the current "affiliate" teams become independents, but it would be fun to see a team from, say Truth or Consequences, New Mexico play the Yankees or the Braves instead of seeing the Bronx Bombers or the Mouths of the South perennially trash their expected opposition ad nauseum. It might even be exciting to see a World Series between Baton Rouge and Calgary - think of the ratings such an unexpected combination that would result, Peter thought.  
  
Ruthie heartily agreed with Peter on that one. But her gripe with professional sports went merely beyond that. She was also interested in the financial aspects, ever since two years before when the Colonel bought Ruthie a subscription to Street and Smith. Her passion in sports was football, and she couldn't understand how consistently losing teams like the Detroit Lions stayed in the NFL; but for their equal share of the television revenues, which put a small market team like the Green Bay Packers and mediocre franchises like the Lions on a level pegging with the self-proclaimed "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys. Not only that, there was also a salary cap that was strictly enforced. True revenue sharing simply didn't exist in any of the other Big Three sports; and she was convinced if such an arrangement existed, MLB, the NBA and the NHL wouldn't be in so much trouble.  
  
Nearly a month passed from the time they came to know each other Biblically by before they made love again. The next time was just before school started, at the home of a mutual friend of theirs they trusted; the third was a little more than a week later up in Ruthie's well-insulated attic bedroom, which she had locked for extra measure. Ruthie initially feared their sudden rush to intimacy would drive her and her boyfriend apart, but if anything it actually brought them closer together; and her determination not to let it interfere with her grades in fact saw her marks go even higher. Peter saw a similar effect on his grades, too.  
  
Ruthie had been at Peter's all afternoon, going there right after school. After working together on homework for nearly three hours, Peter and Ruthie shared a candlelit dinner around 7:30. But there wasn't a candelabrum; it was still mosquito season and Peter had lit a few citronella candles around the dining room. Ruthie had to admit she liked the smell and deep down knew this would be another one of "those" nights.  
  
The two started with vichyssoise (Ruthie really liked leek soup the way he put it together almost as much as Annie's version), then had a meat loaf with fettuccine alfredo and a Caesar salad with a home-made 1000 Islands dressing, then finished with another home-made concoction, key lime sorbet (Paris had gotten an ice-cream machine during the summer and she and her son loved it.)  
  
After supper, which lasted an hour, Ruthie and Peter spent only a few minutes talking about their families' latest exploits and about each other's thoughts and feelings. Finally, they agreed that there wasn't much point talking anymore. They quickly washed the dishes, and then headed up to his bedroom where they made love, this time for nearly an hour. Each thought they had gotten better than the first two times and so had their partner.  
  
Afterwards, as they were basking in the afterglow and exchanging endearments to each other, Peter finally remembered something which had bothered him since the night of their first time and had wanted to talk about with Ruthie when they did it at her place had it not been nearly his curfew time.  
  
"Ruthie," said Peter, "I know this is a really weird time to be asking you this, because this time was really great ."  
  
"It was, Peter," said Ruthie. "I just love the way you love me, and not just physically. You've always treated me as your equal, and I love you for that, too."  
  
"I feel the same way about you. But there's something on my mind I've been meaning to ask you. Have you talked to Rhiannon since camp?"  
  
"Only once or twice since school started, Peter," replied Ruthie, as she rolled off the bed and began putting her clothes back on. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Has she talked to you at all about what happened between Henderson and her?" The sight of his girlfriend in her natural state made Peter want to draw her back to the mattress for another round but he was getting tired and decided against it. There was a slight pause as she reached for her brassiere and panties.  
  
"Well, she's glad that he's not at Kennedy anymore, but she thinks that's just a coincidence. But she did tell me something weird," said Ruthie, who had slipped her underwear on herself and was now putting on her socks. "She said that the day after he molested her, her boyfriend at the camp and her had some very, very rough sex. It was like she was taking out her anger on him. Well, as it turns out, he was also taking his anger out on her. Her boyfriend was also felt up by Henderson, three days before it happened to her. She and her boyfriend are still dating, although it's tricky since he lives about an hour from here; they only get together about once every other week."  
  
Peter was shocked. It was bad enough Henderson had molested at least one young woman, but young men, too?  
  
"When did she tell you this?"  
  
"Just before school was dismissed today, Peter," said Ruthie, who had finished putting on her kilt and was now buttoning her short-sleeved blouse. "I haven't had any time today to call Roxie or Kevin to tell them. I still don't have a cell phone, remember?"  
  
"Kevin's on night shift this week," thought Peter, "isn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, he is. Maybe I can give him a call. May I use your phone?" asked Ruthie. She finished her outfit with her cardigan; a cool breeze the last few days had dropped the temperature down into the low 60s.  
  
"Go ahead," yawned Peter, now totally exhausted from their shared experience. "Use the phone downstairs because I might not want to hear the details, especially after what we did tonight. Then you can walk yourself out. Just remember to set the perimeter alarm on the way out and lock the door. The code this week is -"  
  
"I know what it is. Thank you. Good night Peter. I love you," said Ruthie, and she kissed her boyfriend and pulled up the covers over his birthday suit so he could fall asleep.  
  
"I love you too, Ruthie - same time next week?"  
  
"You bet. I can't wait. So, do you want my place or yours?" Ruthie winked.  
  
"Yours again," said Peter, winking back. "Oh, can you turn down the fan, to low speed, please."  
  
Ruthie pulled the chain on the fan above Peter's bed to slow it down, walked to the doorway, turned off the lights in Peter's bedroom and headed downstairs to call Kevin. Detective Michaels answered the phone.  
  
"I'm sorry Ruthie," said Michaels, "but Kevin's not here. May I take a message?"  
  
"Never mind, Detective, it can wait until the morning. I'll ask Kevin when he comes home."  
  
"It's your call. But is everything okay?"  
  
"No," said Ruthie, "everything's not okay. I don't want to accuse anyone of anything, but from what I heard today through the school's grapevine, Frank Henderson may be a pedophile and you might want to open a file on him if Roxie hasn't already."  
  
Michaels was interested. "Yes, we have, Ruthie. What information have you got?"  
  
Ruthie told Michaels everything she knew, including the name and address of Rhiannon's boyfriend.  
  
"I'll follow it up, and thanks," said Michaels. "In the meantime, please be extra careful. Henderson may be rallying the troops and trying to smear his accusers, so you and Peter watch yourselves."  
  
"Thanks Detective. Good night."  
  
Michaels hung up the phone on his desk, his hand shaking. Now there were three minors all accusing a vice-principal of inappropriate conduct. He knew this was one case that had to be treaded upon lightly. Roxie and Bill were right; they needed a smoking gun. Someone had to stop Henderson, but the cop knew at least a few more students would be victimized before they could take a case to the District Attorney. It was a bitter Catch-22, but Michaels figured trying to keep quiet as much as possible was the necessary course to follow. He decided to only allow Kevin, Roxie and Simpson unfettered access to the file. Every one else on the force would be on a "need to know" basis, and unless one of their children was also a victim, they simply didn't need to know.  
  
Ruthie hung up the phone at Peter's, stuffed the textbooks and notepads into her backpack, wrapped it around her back, and activated the security alarm before locking the door behind her. As she walked down the driveway to begin the brief trek home, she could have sworn she heard gentle snoring. She looked up as she stepped off the front porch. Peter had left his window of the bedroom above the garage open, and the curtains had been drawn. 


	5. Breakfast with Lucy and Kevin

Before the next chapter, a few words of explanation to those who may have been confused by the discussion on promotion and relegation in pro sports (based on comments in the reviews section). In layperson's terms, this involves nothing more than dumping the worst teams in the majors and consigning them to the minors until they improve their record. The best minor league teams get bumped up to the pros. This would happen every year, and ensure the best minor leaguers get national exposure while continually weak teams stop getting shown on TV, as they deserve NOT to be shown at all on the networks - and are forced to earn their way back to the top. In any case, here's the next installment.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
It was around 8:30 the next morning, a Saturday, when Ruthie finally woke up from nine hours of sleep. She had not slept that much since a week before her beloved maternal grandmother, Jenny Jackson, passed away at the Camden residence when Ruthie was just the tender age of five. She got out of bed, took off her nightgown with a single hand's sweeping motion, and headed towards the parsonage's attic restroom. She clicked on the lights, and looked at herself, gasping at the incongruous sight. She had to cover her mouth to stop from screaming.  
  
Her normally oily hair was bone dry and totally disheveled, her makeup was smeared so much that she looked like a pathetic clown, and her fingernails from tip to root were totally filled with coal black grit. Her body was marked with the fingernail scratches Peter had left on her in several places: her bosom, thighs, butt and back. To top it all off, she bore the markings of not just one but five hickeys, all the way around the circumference of her neck. She figured she did at least as much damage to Peter's body the preceding evening.  
  
Ruthie turned on the shower and stepped inside, trying to clean off as much evidence as she could of the previous evening's passion. Her thoughts first turned to what had happened during that hour. As before, Peter had prepared himself for the moment at hand. So had Ruthie, who had started to take the Pill the day she got back from camp. Then, as if from a romantic movie, they had become one. This time, however, it was different. They had not just had sex. They truly made love, getting in touch with each other's feelings. Maybe that was why Peter fell asleep so content right afterwards and why she had the best sleep in her entire fifteen years.  
  
She still had no regrets about their mutual decision to take their relationship all the way. She knew as early as the start of the calendar year that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and why she was so happy when Peter got her the promise ring. They still had almost three years of high school to go through, but if her boyfriend popped the question right now she would gladly accept and they would get married the moment he turned eighteen -- she being about seven months older than he was. There was an old saying that if you treated a human being like a human being, he or she would act like a human being and that was exactly how Peter treated his girlfriend. She hoped she was returning the favor.  
  
She did worry, though, that her parents would find out eventually and that they might ground her or restrict her to study dates in the manse living room. At least Paris was more reasonable on the issue - and besides, did not Annie tell Eric to chill out when he fretted over Matt spending the night with Sarah and having sex out of wedlock even though he was 22? Wait a minute, they were already married, just in a civil ceremony and they had not had the chance to legitimize it in a clerical setting. Ruthie was still bound by her secrecy oath not to tell anyone that her brother and sister-in-law had eloped.  
  
Ruthie had now shampooed her hair and was lathering up her body, after having cleaned out her fingernails. Her thoughts turned to the fact that her conversation with Peter after their unity turned abruptly from how they felt about each other to their friends, Rhiannon and her boyfriend. It occurred to her that not only did it seem strange they were even talking about it but that Peter had changed the subject so quickly after the most incredible experience of their lives; almost as if sex was as perfectly normal as breathing air. Well, it was, she admitted quickly, but that was not the point. Could not he have waited until at least the morning to bring it up - or asked her before supper, which by the way was incredible?  
  
"No," she thought to herself, "I should cut him some slack. He admitted that it had slipped his mind, and I'll take him at his word."  
  
Ruthie finally rinsed herself off, turned off the shower, and stepped out to dry herself, wrapping a large Turkish towel around herself. She opened up her medicine cabinet and took both the Pill and the morning after, brushed her teeth, then after running some conditioner through her hair and rinsing it off over the sink, turned on the hair dryer.  
  
As she partially dried her hair over the next ten minutes (let the air-dry the rest, she thought), she finally thought about what she and Peter actually said about their friends. There was simply no way they could be exaggerating something like this; the detail in which they described it pretty much ruled out a conspiracy. However, why would they tell her and Peter? Why didn't they go to the cops themselves after camp let out, or talk to a guidance counselor at school? Ruthie felt terrible that what happened had transpired, but why did she have to be dragged into this?  
  
If it was because they thought they could trust her, she felt honored but still bewildered by it. If they just had to tell someone, at least they got it out of their systems. However, as she had suspected all afternoon yesterday, they probably told her because she was a preacher's kid - PK - and that was very unfair. Like her siblings, Ruthie was proud to be a PK but that did not make her better than anyone nor did it give her a monopoly on wisdom. The community did have higher expectations of her, of course, but she was only human. Moreover, if she were a victim of that kind of indecency, she would want to either bury herself in a hole and die or tell someone other than another PK.  
  
Ruthie finished drying her hair, ran a brush through it to force the remaining cowlicks down, hung up the huge towel and stepped back into the bedroom, pulling out a fresh change of intimate apparel and putting them on herself. She looked out the window and noticed it was still quite windy outside that morning, so she chose tight fitting blue jeans and a turtleneck shirt as her wardrobe since she knew the hickeys would be there for least another day or so. She also dispensed with makeup today, not even blush. However, she let her hair hang down and split down the middle, with half hanging down the front of her right shoulder and the rest hanging down the rear of her left.  
  
She unlocked the door to the attic bedroom and headed down two flights of stairs. Eric, Annie and the twins had left for the supermarket. But breakfast was still being served, and Ruthie walked into the kitchen to see Lucy (still in her nightgown) and Kevin (in uniform) making out, while their twenty-month old twin children, Charles John and Jennifer Ruth, were downing bottles filled with orange juice.  
  
"Ahem!" coughed Ruthie. The husband and wife broke apart.  
  
"Good morning, Ruthie," said Lucy. "A little late this morning, aren't we?"  
  
"I conked out about an hour after I came home about 10:30 last evening. I slept through the night," replied Ruthie; grabbing a plate and mug and helping herself to toast, jam, banana bran muffins, orange juice and a cup of coffee. "I see you guys haven't lost your spark."  
  
"I couldn't sleep last night, Ruthie," said Lucy. "I was waiting for Kevin to come home. Guess what? We're going to have another baby!"  
  
"Congratulations!" Ruthie was thrilled at the prospect she was going to be an aunt again. She hugged her sister and brother-in-law.  
  
"Thanks, Ruthie," said Kevin. "By the way, there were a couple things we wanted to talk to you about. First Lucy and I both have something on our minds."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Well, Ruthie," said Lucy, as Ruthie started her breakfast, "we know about you and Peter. We're not going to tell Mom and Dad because that's something you and your boyfriend have to deal with. We just want you to know that we're just looking out for you."  
  
"Sis," said Ruthie, "I'm fifteen years old; I can take care of myself."  
  
"We're just worried that you two guys may have rushed into this without thinking of the consequences," replied Kevin. "I know you guys are careful, but nothing other than abstinence is 100% effective. Look at Lucy and me; we got pregnant with the twins while Lucy was on the Pill."  
  
"It's not like Peter and I planned on having sex, not this soon anyway," said Ruthie. "We were at camp, the opportunity just presented itself and we just thought it was the right time. We liked it; we decided we wanted to keep doing it whenever we had the chance. Wait a minute, how did you figure out he and I are having sex at all?"  
  
"Well, Ruthie," said Lucy gently, "you and Peter were holed up in the attic for nearly six hours a week ago, and you spent all afternoon and most of the evening at his place. It doesn't take a rocket science to figure it out."  
  
"Not only that," added Kevin, "I was doing a patrol of this neighborhood because of a rash of break-ins recently. When I went by Paris' house about 10:15 last night, I saw the curtains of Peter's bedroom fluttering out the open window. Now I'm a big fan of classic movies, and in the old days when you couldn't even say the word 'pregnant' on screen and even married couples were depicted in separate beds, the producers would use the technique of fluttering curtains quite often. It meant there was sex going on in the bedroom behind. They did it that way because they wanted to keep the truth from little kiddies watching, but adults knew exactly what the allegory was."  
  
"Oh, man!" groaned Ruthie. "I would have already left by the time you passed by, but when I looked up and saw the window open, I thought someone might have seen us through the open window doing what comes naturally while his bedroom lights were on at full blast! I wonder if Peter was trying to scream it to the world ."  
  
"He loves you so much," said Lucy, "and he'd never do that deliberately. I don't think it would have even crossed his mind what the signal was. He guards your privacy - I'm trying to think of an analogy here. Hmm, he guards your privacy at least as much as the BBC protects its independence from their owner, the British Government; and much better than the Department of Energy protects Oak Ridge - the birthplace of the nuclear bomb. I know that's not quite what you hoped I would say, but you get my point."  
  
"I get it, Luce. No sweat," said Ruthie.  
  
"But more importantly," added Lucy, "you don't even have to ask us; your secret is safe with us until you want to tell Mom and Dad."  
  
"I don't think anyone else in the neighborhood knows either, Ruthie," assured Kevin. "With all the break-ins, most people put in security systems and have tended to flee town as soon as work lets out on Fridays. In fact, I know that everyone who lives in the houses around the Petrovskys are empty nesters, and all of them drive out to Vegas on weekends. I'm with Lucy; I won't rat you out either."  
  
"Well, Kevin," said a perplexed Ruthie, "technically what Peter and I are doing is illegal as we're both under eighteen. Wouldn't you lose your job if someone else found out since you know a crime was committed but you said nothing?"  
  
"Blood is thicker than water," said Kevin. "I'm not a blood relative, but I am part of the family - well, in a way, some of your family's blood does run through me now. Your secret's safe with me."  
  
Ruthie breathed a huge sigh of relief. As long as it did stay between the four of them - well, six including the Kinkirk's children - she and Peter were on protected ground.  
  
"I do have to admit, Lucy," said Ruthie, "that what you told me about you and Kevin after you guys got married is absolutely true. My view of the other half changed forever a month ago after Peter's and my first time. I don't mean in a big way, but it's the little things. Before, we couldn't wait to see each other. Now there are some days I just don't want to hold his hand, other days he wants to be left alone. Not just that, there are moments when I just want to be a damsel in distress and him my knight in shining armor; other days I get genuinely frightened of him. I know he would never hurt me, but still . I wonder if one day, all the rage he's felt at his father, and Dick, and everyone else that has courted then dumped Paris will just come pouring out at me."  
  
"You two always have us to talk to if either or both of you think your relationship is in trouble," said Lucy. "Now, Kevin has some business that he wants to talk to you about. I'll go upstairs and wash up the twins, then ."  
  
"I can baby sit them while you and Kevin celebrate your good fortune in the garage apartment, before he nods off for the next eight hours," finished Ruthie.  
  
"Thanks sis," smiled Lucy. She kissed her husband then her sister and then gathered up the twins for their baths.  
  
"Wait a minute, Luce, I think it's my turn to wash the twins up. I'll take care of that while babysitting."  
  
"Oh, right. Thanks, Ruthie."  
  
Once Lucy had cleared out of the kitchen, Kevin leaned forward to Ruthie. His voice was very quiet.  
  
"Thanks for leaving the message last night, Ruthie," he said. "Actually, Lucy and I aren't going to do anything today. Right after breakfast, I'm going out and driving to that town an hour away, the one you were telling me about, so I can talk to Rhiannon's boyfriend. Oh, and in the interests of full disclosure, a student at the school where Henderson is now VP and where Julie teaches filed a complaint of her own. I expect in the next few days we're going to get flooded with even more."  
  
"Yikes," gulped Ruthie. "Well, Detective Michaels asked Peter and me to keep our ears to the ground. Anything else Glen Oak's Finest requests of us?"  
  
Kevin wasn't sure how his sister-in-law was going to react to what he was going to say next.  
  
"Unless we can get a smoking gun in the next few weeks, the District Attorney will want to smoke one out. That means that either you or Peter, or even both of you, might have to become 'live bait.'"  
  
"NO WAY!" said Ruthie flatly. "Peter and I compromised our integrity to each other for our own reasons. We did nothing wrong other than act out our feelings for each other. However, what you're asking is reprehensible. You actually want us to go up to Henderson in the hopes that he will do to us what he did to all those other people. You'd sacrifice a relative of yours to the altar of sacrifice?" Her voice was rising with each sentence, until her niece and nephew were cringing.  
  
"No, no, no!" replied Kevin impatiently, and leaned over to his children to calm them down. "All he has to do is proposition you or Peter, or even both of you. Then we can arrest him for soliciting statutory rape."  
  
"In other words, you want us to wear a wire."  
  
"Yeah, something like that. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it might. Discuss it with Peter, and you can let me know on Monday. Otherwise, we're going to have to find a snitch in the juvenile system to reel him in, and you know how unreliable jailhouse informants can be on the witness stand."  
  
"I'll talk to Peter," said Ruthie, finishing her coffee. "I'll go to his place now with the twins. It's our turn to baby-sit them, anyway."  
  
"Great," said Kevin. "You two are wonderful with them, and you've gotten even better after you guys got back from camp. Both of you do understand just how big a responsibility having children are. There's just one last thing, Ruthie."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Dump the turtleneck," laughed Kevin. "At your age, I'd think having a few hickeys is a badge of pride, not shame. And besides, it's going to heat up again later on today."  
  
Ruthie kissed her brother-in-law, and ran upstairs to take off the turtleneck. She put on a Crawford University sweatshirt in its place, ran back downstairs, and took her nephew and niece by the hand to their stroller and after tying them in walked them down the few blocks to Peter's place. This was one conversation she was not looking forward to; but if Kevin felt that he owed her, she owed her brother-in-law the same courtesy. 


	6. Suffer, Little Children

Chapter Six  
  
It took less than an hour for Kevin to get his answer. Yes, Ruthie and Peter said, they were willing to help ring in Henderson. All they needed to know was when and how. They then spent the rest of the day babysitting Jennifer and Charles back at the Camdens, including giving them the bath that Ruthie promised to her sister.  
  
Meanwhile, Lucy was in her father's study. She had been ordained a little more than a year ago, and the deacons at Glen Oak Community Church quickly hired her as an Associate Minister alongside Chandler. Her contract required her to write a sermon at least once every four weeks - 13 during the year - as well as filling in when neither Eric nor Chandler were available.  
  
Lucy usually had a self-imposed deadline of Friday night before her allotted Sundays. In fact, she had finished her sermon for the next day but her chat with her sister that morning had given her food for thought. After attempting to revise it a few times, she just threw it out and started fresh. She pulled out Eric's huge reference Bible off the shelf, which had four Bible versions in side-by-side column form: the King James or "Authorized" Version, the Good News, the Grail and the New Revised Standard Version.  
  
She liked this volume because it allowed her not only to pick out a verse or verses on which to reflect on, but also a translation that best amplified her point. She knew that there were many radio and television preachers and even some members of the congregation she co-shepherded who said that the King James Bible of 1611 was the only valid and true Word of God for the English-language world "in these end times" and that all other versions that succeeded it were, in their words, "perverted."  
  
Lucy, who had studied online versions of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the other manuscripts found at Qumran while at divinity school, knew better. The King James Version was actually based on earlier English translations, and poor ones at that. As Eric had told her one night when she asked him and Richard (Matt's father-in-law, and a rabbi) for help with a difficult passage of the Torah/Pentateuch in Ancient Hebrew: "It's usually best to go further back in time to more ancient manuscripts if they are available, because when you translate a translation over many generations, something does get lost."  
  
"Not only that," added Rabbi Glass, "but in many places the Authorized Version violates the most basic rules of Hebrew poetry; many chapters of the Old Testament were written in doublets, and the second clause always reflects in some way back to the first."  
  
Discoveries of the last fifty or sixty years resulted in some of the most accurate Bibles yet published to date. Besides, anyone who said they knew the time of the end was wrong: to date, the batting average of the doomsday prophets was 0.000.  
  
The deacons and the other ministers had fully backed her up on that issue, as well as her desire to put more lively music into the Sunday services. She was criticized at first for that, too, but she managed to get the congregation to change its mind when she said from the pulpit, "If it takes Rock and Roll to bring people to the Rock of Ages, let's do that!" She really longed to live in the sixties, when a lot of popular music wove religious themes and even entire Bible chapters into their lyrics: "Turn, Turn, Turn;" "There is Love;" "One Tin Soldier." And so forth.  
  
These two minor changes actually succeeded in getting more people into the pews, which of course meant more money for the church coffers for various community projects. Her only regret was that with the exception of Detective Michaels and a few other black families, hers and her father's congregation was still mostly white.  
  
She spoke about this on her last sermon four weeks ago, expressing regret that even the Christian music industry was so divided that it was segregated into "Contemporary Christian" or "White" gospel music, while what was traditionally considered "gospel" was nearly monopolized by the black community. It had reached the point that both communities had separate annual awards shows, which by a bizarre coincidence were BOTH held at Nashville's Grand Ol' Opry. "United we stand, divided we fall," she told the congregation. "We may be legally integrated; but when it comes to matters of the heart and of faith, we are as segregated as ever, and we only have ourselves to blame for that."  
  
She flipped through the text, and finally found what she was looking for. Two verses she had been reflecting on ever since she found out she was with child once more. She had no idea that she was about to step into the minefield that Peter and Ruthie now found themselves in. She opened up Eric's laptop and started typing her new sermon, proofreading it and printing the final draft in less than an hour.  
  
The church was filled to the rafters whenever Lucy was going to take the pulpit. So it was the next morning, a Sunday. The Camdens filled their usual pew, with Chandler flanking one side and Peter the other besides Ruthie. They were dressed semi-formally and were holding Kevin and Lucy's children in their laps: Peter had Jennifer; Ruthie, Charles. Roxie had recently reconciled with Chandler after nearly two years and were going steady again, but she was busy today working on she told Lucy was "a top secret file" with Kevin.  
  
The choir opened the service by leading the congregation in singing one of Lucy's favorite hymns, Melody Green's "There is a Redeemer." Lucy then took the pulpit and led the congregation in reciting the Lord's Prayer. After everyone sat down, Lucy adjusted the microphone and began to speak.  
  
"Brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather here today this fantastic morning. I see a lot of you are still in shorts and t-shirts. That's okay, we've never imposed a dress code here and with the weird weather we've had the last few days, I almost felt like taking this robe off and dressing down too." Everyone laughed. "But I do want to begin with personal news. Kevin and I are happy to announce that we are expecting another baby, our third, sometime in April."  
  
The worshippers applauded. Kevin rose from his place, and waved to the members of the flock - as a Catholic, he still wasn't technically a member of this church although he and his brother had always been welcome from day one.  
  
"Having children in this world," continued Lucy, as Kevin sat back down and the applause faded, "is a real challenge. I'm only 22 years old, and on top of helping Dad to run the church I have two families to answer too. The one Kevin and I have, and the one I still belong to by way of my parents. Kevin and I get really worried at times, and I'm sure Ruthie and our Mom and Dad do too, when we hear of parents who abrogate their responsibilities and allow their children to become victimized through neglect or abuse. They either abuse their kids or fail to monitor those whom we entrust our children to. The parents always respond by citing Exodus 20:12: 'Honor thy father and thy mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving unto you.'  
  
"What these parents don't realize is that respect is a two-way street. Jesus scolded his disciples when they tried to stop little children from being prayed for and having hands laid on them by the Man from Galilee. As we read in Matthew 19:14: 'Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.'  
  
"'Suffer, little children.' That's my topic for today."  
  
There was a huge commotion in the sanctuary. Kevin suddenly rose up, told Ruthie and Peter to keep an eye on the Kinkirk twins, and ran out the side door towards the church office. So did Detective Michaels and a couple of other police officers. A number of parents got up, took their children by their hands, and stormed out. After less than a minute, the church was still filled, but everyone who had been standing had managed to find seats among those that had been vacated; as screeching tires could be heard from the parking lot.  
  
Lucy wasn't sure what had just happened. If she had meant to ruffle feathers, she had succeeded. Undeterred, she spoke for the next fifteen minutes on why she believed the Ten Commandments did not excuse parents from caring for their children responsibly, just as God's granting of "dominion" to the human race over the earth and its creatures didn't give man carte blanche to engage in environmental degradation.  
  
As she stepped down and let Chandler handle the rest of the readings, Michaels waved her into the church office. He also signaled to Ruthie and Peter to come in as well. They took Jennifer and Charles by the hand and followed Lucy. They closed the door behind them and found seats across from the minister's desk and sat down with Ruthie's niece and nephew on their laps. Lucy took the minister's chair, while Michaels and Kevin remained standing, flanking opposite sides of the desk.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Lucy.  
  
"Reverend Kinkirk, has Kevin talked to you about what's been going on at work the last few days?" asked Michaels.  
  
"No," said Lucy. "He's only said there's just some top secret file that he and Roxie are working on."  
  
"Is that true, Kinkirk?" Michaels asked the cop.  
  
"Of course," said Kevin angrily. "C'mon, Detective, you know me better!"  
  
"Peter, Ruthie?"  
  
"We'd be the last people to jeopardize a police investigation, Detective," said Ruthie. "You know that!"  
  
"Ditto," echoed Peter.  
  
"Will someone tell me what's going on?" demanded Lucy.  
  
"A high school teacher at the high school where your aunt teaches, Theodore Roosevelt, is under investigation for official misconduct," said Michaels. "Those parents you saw storm out are the siblings of that teacher and their respective families. How did you find out about it?"  
  
"This is the first I've heard of it," said Lucy in total surprise. "I had no idea. I can swear to that on a stack of Bibles. My God, is that what it is?"  
  
"Yes, Reverend Kinkirk," said Michaels.  
  
"It's Lucy, Detective. I may be a minister now, but you can still call me by my first name just as you do my father."  
  
"Of course, Lucy," said Michaels.  
  
"By official misconduct, you mean, what? Oh no, you mean - oh man, anything but that!"  
  
"You've stepped in a minefield, Lucy," said Michaels. "Unintentionally, I'm certain. But we were hoping to keep this quiet until we could get enough evidence to charge Frank Henderson. Now, young people who might have been encouraged to speak up are going to stay silent. By tonight, it will be the top story on the five o'clock news."  
  
Lucy sank down and put her head on the minister's desk, the desk that a Dr. Bergman, who preceded Eric, had returned to the church when Eric reached twenty years as the minister of Glen Oak Community Church. She started to cry. It was nearly five minutes before she sat back up again. Her eyes were now bloodshot.  
  
"Well, the damage is done, I guess," she finally said. "What do you want me to do now?"  
  
"Well, there's not much right now, but if someone comes to you confiding he or she's been abused by Henderson, I want you to report it directly to Roxanne or me right away. Don't even bother with Child and Family Services, because they've now given us direct authority on this investigation. Since yesterday morning, we've received 30 more complaints: 20 males and 10 females. We now have at least a dozen officers sorting through the allegations."  
  
Ruthie and Peter felt like they were going to gag at any moment. This guy really was sick!  
  
"Of course I would report anything," said Lucy. "It's the law, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it is, Lucy, and I'm glad you're willing to cooperate. But there are some other housekeeping items to take care of. First things first, we're going to put a wiretap on your phone at home and the one here at the church," said Michaels. "If anyone tries to threaten you or Ruthie or Peter, we'll get them right away. Second, Kinkirk, I'm taking you off the case. You're in a conflict of interest now, and there's no point in endangering you further. In fact, I'm reassigning you to another officer until this matter is turned over to the DA. When it is, I'll pair you up with Richardson again."  
  
"No problem," said Kevin.  
  
"And us?" said Ruthie.  
  
"Since Peter's mother isn't due back till the end of the week, I'll have extra patrols watching his house. I'll do the same with the parsonage. In the meantime, you two might want to stay out of school for a few days. I'll have the teachers send over the assignments over to the parsonage, and you can work on them there - or at his place, depending on your preference."  
  
"What if any students want to get in touch with us to tell their stories?" asked Peter.  
  
"You've got a cell phone now, don't you Peter?" inquired Ruthie. "Do you use text messaging?"  
  
"Sure. Oh, I got it. Send a message to Helen over at TR and have the other complainants send messages back to her. They forward them to me, and I pass them on to Roxie. It'll have to be after hours though, since we can't use them during school hours except for emergencies."  
  
"Great. Thank you all," said Michaels. "Well, I think it's your turn back up at the pulpit, Lucy."  
  
"Right," she said. The group left the office and returned to the sanctuary. As Chandler gave the oversized Bible back to Lucy, she was shuddering. What if Peter and Ruthie were next on Henderson's hit list? She looked down, and saw the two lovebirds. They were both looking blankly towards the minister's pulpit, as if their true love didn't even exist. Lucy then looked out to the rest of the congregation. Only one other parishioner had that same look on her face, and that was their schoolmate, Rhiannon. Then it dawned upon Lucy. They found out about what Henderson did to Rhiannon the very day the two lost their virginity. It had to be afterwards, because if the woman had told them beforehand, they both would have sworn off the idea of sex for the rest of their lives.  
  
With a shaking voice, she shook the thought out of her mind as she closed the service with the Aaronic blessing. 


	7. Like Father, Like Daughter

Chapter Seven  
  
Before the day was over, the story had gotten national attention. Matt and Sarah, who were having supper at home, were stunned to watch CNN and see Roxanne interviewed by a reporter; the cop only confirmed that a school administrator was under investigation but refused to name names to protect the identities of the victims. Simon and Cecilia, who were cohabitating in Nashville, were also shocked; and so was Mary, still in Fort Lauderdale, and who had gotten back together with Robbie Palmer. Robbie was busy working a pledge drive for the local United Appeal but heard it on the radio, and was shocked to hear the voice of Rev. Lucy Kinkirk, his onetime girlfriend, who was being interrogated for the hourly newscast.  
  
"At the request of the Glen Oak Police Department," Lucy said, "I have no comment other than to say that all the ministers of Glen Oak Community Church will cooperate with the investigation in any way we can."  
  
"Is it true that your sister Ruthie Camden is a material witness?" asked one of the reporters.  
  
"I thought I told you I have no comment, and neither does she," said the minister angrily. "There is a Bill of Rights, you know; and she does have the right to remain silent. She answers to a higher authority just as I do, and that isn't you!"  
  
"But sources close to the Camden family ." The newsreader droned on for about a minute on the item.  
  
Robbie's meal break was coming up and he stepped out of the "boiler room." He picked up his cell phone and called Eric.  
  
"Hey, Robbie, it's so good to hear from you!" said Eric. "How's Mary?"  
  
"She's fine, but that's not why I called," replied Robbie. "I wanted to talk to you about what's going on in Glen Oak. Is it true what they're saying about 'Snookie'? That she ."  
  
"I don't mean to interrupt," interrupted Eric, "but Detective Michaels and Roxanne specifically warned us not to talk to anyone about it. The investigation is at the boiling point, and I don't want to endanger it even more. It's bad enough that Lucy blew the lid off without even meaning to. Peter and Ruthie are up in the attic. They seemed calm enough after the service, but they're cooling off after yelling at my daughter at the supper table non-stop for nearly an hour and a half."  
  
"How is Rev. Kinkirk?" asked Robbie, preferring to refer to his former housemate by her formal title.  
  
"She's okay now," said Eric. "She just wishes it would all go away."  
  
"I can't say I blame her. Well, say hi to her and let her know that Mary and I are thinking about all of you guys."  
  
"All right, Robbie. God bless. And say hi to Mary."  
  
Eric hung up the phone in his study, and went into the living room. It was vacant except for Lucy. She was still wearing what she had been wearing that morning under the minister's robe: slacks and a stuffed shirt with the Roman collar to indicate her status as a member of the First Estate. She was looking at the Bible she had received when she was confirmed.  
  
"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Eric still thought of Lucy as his little girl even though technically they were now equals. There was a long pause. Finally, she looked up to her father.  
  
"How do you do it, Dad?" said Lucy. "You've been a minister for nearly thirty years. You love working with people, and so do I. You like writing sermons, and so do I. You've always stuck your neck out to defend your family's honor, even to the point of taking a bullet for Simon. I know if I had been in your shoes, I would have done the same. But after fast tracking through seminary and more than a year at the pulpit, this is the first time I've begun to wonder if it's really worth it. You went through the same crisis of faith a couple of years back, but that was in the middle of your career. I'm just past the starting line."  
  
"It's not your fault, Luce," replied Eric, hugging his daughter. "There's no way you could have known what Ruthie and Peter knew - and what Julie knew. But you've always stood up for the little person, just like me. You make that clear in today's sermon; that we have a moral duty to stand up for children, and not just a legal one. Besides, as I recall, you told me you wanted to follow in my footsteps, but you knew that entailed taking the good and the bad."  
  
"I never said I wanted to follow in your footsteps. I'm trying, like you, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ," the woman said flatly, "and like you I've tripped more times than I care to count. I only said, the night we were celebrating your 50th birthday, that I wanted to be 'a minister just like you.' There's a big difference."  
  
"Well, the police are handling it, and they'll nail this guy, even if it's a single charge."  
  
"And if they don't? He'll just get a blank check to continue to do whatever he wants. I don't know if I could live with that."  
  
"You will," said Eric. "There are a lot of times I've had to deal with things that are unfair, but I've figured out how to live and let live. Some people slip through the cracks; either through neglect, like some homeless people we never get around to helping, or through the choices they make, like Jimmy Moon. Sometimes my connections and my goodwill as a minister aren't enough, and that is that. You'll learn that too; in fact you never stop learning on this job. I still learn something new, at least every week if not every day. It's a 24/7 commitment, and you've done more than anyone could ask of you.  
  
"You've made it through divinity school, you survived the scrutiny of the deacons, and then you were ordained despite the misgivings of some of our parishioners who thought you couldn't handle both that and being a mother to twins ."  
  
"And one more on the way," added Lucy.  
  
"That's right," said Eric. "You proved them wrong. You're a great mother, and a wonderful minister. You've done terrific so far in this first year, and you're getting better everyday. With three ministers at the church, we now have time to answer all the requests I was never able to when it was just me; and you're more than pulling your fair share between you, Chandler and me. You're dealing with people every day and that's more training you'll get than memorizing chapter upon chapter of the Good Book, never mind the endless repetition of ancient Hebrew, Greek and Latin. In that one respect, at least, you really are a chip off the old block."  
  
Lucy laughed. She didn't like that aspect of seminary any more than her father did. She knew it was a compliment and her continued smile showed she accepted it.  
  
"You counsel couples getting married as well as getting divorced," continued Eric, "work as a part-time chaplain at the local jail, and counsel anyone who walks into the church office when Chandler and I aren't there. And you continue to find time to work in soup kitchens, drive the Meals on Wheels truck making deliveries, keep in touch with Gladys Bink and some of the other elderly members of the flock, and still make a point to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. You approach all that with as much energy as Chandler and I combined, and have given both of us reason to continue in our shared calling. So, when you do succeed me full time, you'll be more than prepared."  
  
"I appreciate that, Dad," said Lucy, who was still smiling. It was the first time since that morning, when she told the parishioners that she and Kevin were expecting again, that she had kept a happy face on that long. "But that still doesn't answer the question of those kids who were abused, or I should say allegedly abused, by Frank Henderson. They're going to think that I betrayed them via proxy through Ruthie and Peter. I take the oath of confidentiality seriously. If they can't trust me - us, who can they trust?"  
  
"They can trust their good judgment," replied her father, "and each other. More importantly, they can trust that you're on their side. You didn't name names; you just identified an issue and make a stand. If push comes to shove, the deacons and the parishioners will stand behind you one hundred percent."  
  
"Even those who think a woman should never become a minister?" Lucy bit her lip.  
  
"Well, okay, ninety-five percent," said Eric impatiently. "But if you want the general support you seek, you'll get it."  
  
"Thanks, Dad," said his daughter. The two ministers hugged each other.  
  
"There's something else on your mind, isn't there?" said Eric.  
  
"It's just something Ruthie, Kevin and I talked about at breakfast yesterday," replied Lucy. "It's not about this, just something she was worried about. My husband and I gave her advice, she thanked us, and that's that."  
  
"But it's still bothering you. Want to talk about it?"  
  
"Ruthie confided in me, and it stays with me. Remember, Dad, I'm bound by the oath even if it's another family member." She pointed to Eric, and using the same tone of voice as if she was saying, "no peeking," she added, "And don't bother asking Kevin!"  
  
"Okay, fine. Do you want to take the service next Sunday?"  
  
"It's your turn, Dad. Remember, it's you, me, you and Chandler."  
  
"There've been a lot of media requests, ever since the service ended today," said Eric.  
  
"I'm not going to turn this into a spectacle, Dad. We're talking about gross impropriety - and I do stress the word 'gross.'"  
  
"The Sunday school teachers have also cancelled classes next week. They want you to talk to the kids about this, in a way they can understand. The networks think this could be a great educational tool, a way to educate parents about the warning signs as well as kids who might be afraid to speak out, which is why they want to broadcast it live."  
  
"I'll have to think about it," said Lucy. "I'll let you and Chandler know what my answer is in a day or two. Talking to the children isn't a problem. Doing it in the glare of the media is something else."  
  
"I understand, Luce. But we need to know by noon tomorrow."  
  
"But why so soon?"  
  
"Well, with all the satellite trucks coming in, we need to sort out alternate parking arrangements for the regulars, don't we?"  
  
"Point taken."  
  
The doorbell rang. Eric and Lucy answered the door. A police officer in the summons branch handed Lucy three envelopes.  
  
Lucy looked at them. Then she yelled up the staircase for Peter and Ruthie to come downstairs.  
  
"What is it, Reverend?" asked Peter, as he and Ruthie breathlessly hit the bottom of the staircase.  
  
"You two and I have just been issued subpoenas," said Lucy, handing the two teenagers their respective summonses. A grand jury has been convened, and we're expected to testify before it, tomorrow at noon."  
  
Ruthie and Peter were stunned. From what Kevin and Roxanne had told them, the investigation could go on for months. Why the sudden rush to get indictments now? The cop, who was still in the doorway, had the answer to that question.  
  
"This is strictly off the record," she said, "but after your sermon this morning, Reverend Kinkirk, one of your parishioners - who was once a teacher at JFK before he quit two years ago because he couldn't take the pressure anymore - at any rate, he approached us with fresh evidence. He's now running a professional photography studio; in fact, I think he was one of the counselors at the camp you two young people attended this past summer.  
  
"Well, anyway, Henderson forced this teacher to take pictures of him engaging in certain acts with numerous students under pain of dismissal; under cover, of course. I guess he wanted to have his own private collection, as some sort of keepsake of his meanness. The teacher, however, kept the negatives. He turned them over to us, and one hour ago, the District Attorney granted that teacher immunity in exchange for his testimony. As I speak right now, Henderson is being booked downtown on numerous charges; among which include official misconduct, indecent exposure, statutory rape, sexual harassment, possession of porn, and of course racketeering."  
  
"Is he denying it?" inquired Peter.  
  
"He invoked the Fifth, naturally," replied the cop. "But he invoked his right to have an arraignment to set a trial date in exactly sixty days - the day before Thanksgiving. That gives us less than three weeks to get indictments from the Grand Jury. But we do now know why his wife left him to have an affair. She found the dirty pictures just before school let out, and when she confronted him, he beat her up and raped her at gunpoint to ensure her silence - then destroyed nearly all the pictures, and hid the rest in his personal safe deposit box. Now that we have the smoking gun, we can also proceed with spousal assault charges, too."  
  
"Thanks for letting us know, ma'am," said Ruthie. "You have our word we'll all be there tomorrow. We got the next couple days off anyway because of the whole thing."  
  
The cop left. Peter said it was time for him to head home, kissed Ruthie goodnight and shook hands with the two ministers, and left the parsonage, envelope in hand. Ruthie apologized on behalf of Peter and herself to her sister for yelling earlier. Lucy said it was okay, that it was a rough day for everyone.  
  
The next morning, Lucy, Ruthie and Peter made the drive down to the courthouse. Eric dropped off the twins, who were now in grade one, at their school. Kevin was on his day off looking after Jennifer and Charles. Annie was going around the parsonage, gathering up the garbage and recyclables for the Tuesday pickup, starting on the third floor. As she was about to leave the attic bedroom and work her way down towards the basement, she nearly tripped on something on the floor. Annie shook herself off, looked down at the floorboards and gasped in horror. It was a discarded condom. 


	8. Before the Grand Jury

Chapter Eight  
  
Henderson spent only one night in jail. The next morning, a justice of the peace released him unconditionally on only $10,000 bail, citing his total lack of a criminal record. His girlfriend, Sharon the camp director, posted bond - a mere 10% of the bail - and offered herself and her credit line to be his surety in case of default. To make matters worse, the vice- principal was indefinitely suspended but with pay, pending an internal investigation of the allegations. In effect, he was continuing to draw his salary of almost $200,000 per year even though he had no official duties.  
  
When Lucy, Ruthie and Peter heard that news down at the courthouse, they were outraged. How could the JP even consider letting him continue to roam the community essentially on his own recognizance, without any conditions? Moreover, how could the county school district even contemplate continuing to pay him while all of this was going on? If the allegations proved bogus, return him to his position with back pay and interest, naturally. However, if not, he would essentially be rewarded for his bad behavior and the taxpayer would be out for any salary owing to him from the time he was charged until either conviction or an internal finding of misconduct.  
  
The threesome was each waiting their turn to be called before the Grand Jury. Lucy was wearing a freshly starched minister's shirt and Roman collar with a matching dress that went down to her just below her knees; Ruthie was sporting a white blouse, cut so that the top of her cleavage was clearly visible, and a tan mini-skirt cut just above the knees; and Peter came with a shirt and tie with slacks but no jacket. They knew the testimony they were about to give was secret, but also understood that the rules of evidence were much more relaxed.  
  
There was no defense attorney present, so each witness could speak freely without having to worry about a cross-examination, although they knew they were in for the third degree from naturally skeptical jurors (for Grand Juries in that county had a reputation for refusing to be the proverbial "ham sandwiches.") Furthermore, the jurors only had to find proof of probable cause, not guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. With all the photographic and video evidence that had become known, they thought, indictments were almost a certainty.  
  
There was one thing that was bothering them, however. Frank had not sodomized Ruthie and Peter. What possible evidence could they have to offer, other than what their friend had said? Wasn't hearsay evidence forbidden under the well-established principles of Anglo-Saxon-American law?  
  
As for Lucy, she had nothing at all to offer - she was still reeling from learning of the allegations a mere twenty-four hours or so before. Reverend Lucy Camden Kinkirk - the name actually sounded weird on the tongue. She saw herself more as more of a facilitator than a rector, and a communicator more than a sage. Even if hearsay was permitted before a Grand Jury, and even if Kevin had let her in on what was going on, she would have invoked both clerical and spousal privilege. Had Roxanne told her, she'd still invoke her right to silence as a minister.  
  
The bailiff, a woman in her thirties and who was showing the signs of being five months pregnant (she was married to one of the deacons at the church) stepped outside. "Miss Ruthie Camden, please?"  
  
Ruthie got up, and stepped inside. She saw a judge at the front of the courtroom. Facing him were two ADA's, a man and a woman, and behind them were twenty-three jurors with notepads in hand. The bailiff closed the door, approached Ruthie and asked her to place her left hand on the Bible and raise her right hand. Ruthie, who had become a southpaw with great difficulty after a bad wrist injury playing girls varsity football eighteen months before, did the reverse but was not called on it.  
  
"Do you solemnly swear," droned the bailiff, who had said those words so many times she sounded like a scratched 78, "that the testimony you are about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"  
  
"I do," said Ruthie, and took the witness chair. It was a swivel model but not behind a stand. She crossed her legs and the jurors could see, only momentarily, her scarlet red panties.  
  
"Would you state your name for the record and your current address for the record, please?" asked the female ADA, a Ms Carter.  
  
"My full name is Ruthie - R-U-T-H-I-E - Bernadette - B-E-R-N-A-D-E-T-T-E - Camden - C-A-M-D-E-N. I live at 524 Alta Drive, in Glen Oak, California."  
  
"You are the daughter of a local minister, a Reverend Eric Camden, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. I'm also the sister of a minister, too - Reverend Lucy Camden Kinkirk."  
  
"They are the minister and the associate minister, respectively, at Glen Oak Community Church?"  
  
"My father is the minister there. My sister is only one of the associate ministers; the other is Rev. Dr. Chandler Hampton."  
  
"I stand corrected."  
  
"No sweat."  
  
"Miss Camden ." began Carter, but Ruthie waved her hand.  
  
"It's Ruthie. And you are?"  
  
"Carter. Janice Carter. You can call me by my first name, too. Now Ruthie, when did you meet Frank Henderson?"  
  
"Well, Janice," said Ruthie thoughtfully, "I guess it was a little more than a year ago. I was taking my arts requirement for first year credit at high school, and picked visual arts. I also wanted to study Latin just for the heck of it. Well, actually, it was also because Lucy was taking Latin at the seminary too and I thought it might be fun to have chats with my sister in a totally dead language."  
  
The jurors laughed.  
  
"But when the class was cancelled due to lack of interest," continued Ruthie, "I had to pick another elective so I also took drama. Henderson was my teacher last year."  
  
"What were your impressions of him as a teacher?"  
  
"I thought he was amazing," replied Ruthie honestly. "He considered acting to be a craft, and he made us feel the various parts we were playing. I remember acting out one roll - it was Portia, from 'The Merchant of Venice,' where she confronts Bassanio for giving her 'promise ring' to the judge that spared the merchant's life - who turned out to be her. It was almost right at the end of the play where she admits the truth then tells the merchant Antonio that three of his caravans made it safely back to port. While the script doesn't call for it, Mr. Henderson made me as Portia feel genuine fury at her husband, which suddenly became forgiveness for him and pure elation for her good friend, the merchant. I actually cried real tears of rage and then tears of joy. He was that good."  
  
"At any time during the last school year or at camp this past summer, Ruthie," asked Janice, "did he offer you sexual favors or proposition you in any way?"  
  
"No, he didn't," replied Ruthie.  
  
"Did he ever touch you in an inappropriate manner during that time?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Did he ask you permission to videotape you and your roommates in your cabin or in any other building at summer camp?"  
  
"Certainly not!"  
  
"Ruthie, would you turn to the TV monitor besides you?" requested Janice. "I'm going to play a tape, and I'd like you to identify who's on that tape."  
  
The ADA hit the play button. The image, in black and white was blurred for a few seconds, and then came into focus. Ruthie squinted to see if she could identify the persons on the home video. She was fully expecting it to be two of her fellow campers. However, it wasn't. The likenesses in it were too uncanny. It was . it was .  
  
"That's me," said Ruthie in a shaking voice, "and my boyfriend, Peter Petrovsky. From the date and time stamp, it must have the night we deflowered each other. But Janice, how . how did he know we were going to be there?"  
  
"He didn't," said Janice. "He put in a hidden camera inside the cabins of all the female counselors, in hopes of collecting pictures of teenage girls in compromising positions for his personal collection. He got plenty of that. He also got this, and was going to use it to blackmail you; playing you off against your parents. If you went to the police and told them what you knew, he'd tell your parents you were not the innocent little preacher's daughter and offer the proof."  
  
"So why didn't he?"  
  
"Beats me," said Janice. "Since your friend Rhiannon was the first to allege misconduct against Henderson, he figured no one would believe her since he was the upstanding citizen. I think he was saving it as insurance just in case. He wasn't expecting this matter to snowball so quickly with so many people coming forward to accuse him - some from many years back."  
  
"Wow. Is there anything else you want to know from me?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"Are you certain Frank Henderson never touched you in any way, even if it was innocently, or to demonstrate certain acting moves?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Do the jurors have any questions?"  
  
Juror number nineteen raised her hand. "I have just one, ma'am. Now that you know you were on hidden video, how do you feel?"  
  
"The witness' feelings are not relevant to this proceeding," warned the judge, but Ruthie waved her hand.  
  
"No, I want to answer that question, Your Honor. I'll tell all of you how I feel: Violated! I love Peter Petrovsky and we share something very special. Both he and I have a right to intimacy and privacy, and what he and I do is supposed to be no one else's business, even if I end up getting knocked up by the man I love! In fact, I almost wish I were just to spite that bastard! But since that videotape is going to be a matter of the public record once this evidence is disclosed to the defense, I want to be on record as saying that regardless of the outcome of the criminal case, what Peter and I did was consensual. If you indict us for statutory rape, we will fight the charges vigorously on the grounds we have a right to privacy."  
  
"Thank you, Ruthie. That is all," said Janice.  
  
Ruthie got up, and stormed out of the grand jury room.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Peter.  
  
"I can't say anything unless indictments are issued, but you'll find out soon enough." Ruthie was furious.  
  
"Mr. Peter Petrovsky?" called the bailiff.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Peter came out, just as angry as his girlfriend was. Lucy was called into the room.  
  
"I can't believe we were so stupid!" Peter was beside himself as Lucy was being questioned inside. "Why didn't we wait to find a place where it was really private?"  
  
"We were probably going to have sex that night at the motel, Peter," replied Ruthie quietly, trying to hush her boyfriend so no one could her them. "We just didn't know, and we couldn't have cared anyway."  
  
"Your father is going to kill you when he finds out!"  
  
"No, he won't. You learn a lot being a PK, and one of those things is being a smooth talker. It's not as if I'm on drugs or anything. I'm not pregnant, either. He, Mom and I will just have a chat. I might be restricted to study dates in the living room with you for a while, but even that can't last more than a month or two."  
  
"Let's hope so. But maybe we should lay off the sex for a while. It's not like I'm getting bored with it - you're just incredible ."  
  
"And so are you ." Ruthie kissed Peter. He quickly but gently pushed her back.  
  
"But I think we should take a pass on doing it again until the Christmas break, at the very least. We need to rethink our relationship and where we want to take it. If you want to give back the promise ring and have us date other people to see if we're right for each other, I'm cool with that. Is that okay with you, Ruthie?"  
  
"Sure," she finally said. "After last night, even I was beginning to think we need a cooling off period. Okay, Peter, we'll go cold turkey for at least three months and then take it from there. But we're still dating exclusively - and I'm keeping the promise ring. I love you, and we both have too much invested in this relationship to throw in the towel."  
  
She took Peter's hand and squeezed it in hers. Peter squeezed back.  
  
Meanwhile, Lucy was shown numerous videotapes, seized from Henderson's home, of many of her former classmates in high school. Henderson was feeling some up, while others were undressing themselves in the gym locker rooms. She recognized Suzanne, Laurie, Shelby, Ashley, Rod, Jimmy Moon, and Jordan, among others. There was even Karen, the older sister of Simon's one-time friend Stan, who was nearly killed when she tried to escape from a street gang. Here, she was in bondage, apparently a couple of years before, as Frank repeatedly raped her. Apparently, she found comfort in the gang's company soon afterwards after they delivered an ultimatum to the teacher to leave her alone. Karen had last been seen headed for San Francisco, still in the witness relocation program.  
  
Lucy had to drink several glasses of water during the entire exhibition to stop from getting sick. She knew the DA's office wanted her to name names of victims she recognized but who still had not come forward to identify themselves. However, she could not understand the reason for her presence until they came to the final videotape.  
  
"Rev. Kinkirk," said Janice, "would you identify the young woman on this tape - People's Exhibit 247?"  
  
Lucy feared the worst. Janice plunked the tape into the VCR and hit the play button. It was from the spring of 1998, a couple of months before Annie told the extended family, Jimmy Moon and Rod that she and Eric were expecting again.  
  
It was the day after the mall incident, when Lucy and a couple of other girls were working the mall dressed up grunge style. When Annie caught her, she told her daughter it would be a very long time before she could ever trust her again. Lucy had gotten the message, but the next day was still despondent. During her spare, she went into the girls' restroom, walked into a stall, undressed, and fondled herself for nearly an hour - very unaware that a camera the size of a lipstick container was recording the whole event above her and transmitting it to a VCR buried in the ceiling of the staff restroom, three doors down.  
  
"That's me," said Lucy quietly, "when I was fourteen and a half."  
  
"Are there any questions from the jurors? No? Thank you, Rev. Kinkirk. That will be all."  
  
Lucy got out of the Grand Jury room as fast as she could. She took Peter and Ruthie by the hand and they ran towards the electric car before anyone could take their pictures. Lucy had a lot of explaining to do to her husband tonight; Peter was going to have to tell his mother the whole truth; and Ruthie was racking her brains as to how to justify herself to her parents. 


	9. Annie's Ultimatum

Chapter Nine  
  
"I'm sorry, Mom. I guess my mind wasn't in the right place at the time."  
  
Those words came from Lucy, as she helped her mother set the dining room table for that evening's supper.  
  
"It's okay, Luce," said Annie. "I did that a lot too when I was in high school, and I was thinking perfectly straight."  
  
"But you never did anything to make Grandma and Grandpa mad at you, at least not until you smoked that joint one night."  
  
"You're right. It's just that I was so focused on my homework and other non-sport extracurricular activities that I never had time for any long- term relationships. There's nothing wrong with it as long as you don't make it a substitute for interacting with other people." Annie paused, and then added, "But I'm sure you'd never have done it there and then if you knew that Mr. Henderson was videotaping the stalls in the girls' restroom. What was that man thinking?"  
  
"You know, there's something about this whole thing that's so weird," said Lucy, relieved that her mother considered the matter closed. "I'm not at all sure that this was a random thing, picking his targets as it were. I think Henderson specifically focused on one or more groups of students."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, all the students who were on those videotapes that I saw - and I can't name names just yet because of a gag order - but all of them either were the children of single parents, or had issues with one or both of their parents. Some had gotten into big trouble, or had fallen in with the wrong crowd.  
  
"My guess is, no I'm certain of it, Henderson took advantage of them when they were really vulnerable. For some, like me, he just gathered up a personal porn collection. For the most vulnerable, he actually had sex with them. That would explain Rhiannon and Helen, and a few of the male students. What I don't understand, though, is how he started on the path to perdition in the first place."  
  
"Maybe he himself was abused as a child," pondered Annie. "Maybe he wasn't physically abused, maybe it was verbal. Or he and his siblings saw their father beat their mother repeatedly. That can't help but have had an effect on him."  
  
"Sure, Mom," agreed Lucy, "but that's no excuse for taking advantage of even one minor. Most victims get past their anger and live normal lives, without showing any signs of that anger towards their children. They even go to the point of swearing they'll never raise a hand against their own kids even if they commit murder or treason. As far as I know, his siblings turned out fine. If they stormed out of church yesterday with their families, it may have only been as a sign of solidarity with their brother. I can't believe that they would've turned on their kids, too."  
  
"Do you remember if Frank has any kids of his own?" asked Annie.  
  
"A twenty-one year old daughter and a nine year old son," replied Lucy. "Child and Family Services named the sister foster 'parent' to her brother, pending the outcome of the court case. Maybe I can talk to them and see if they're victims, too. After all, if Frank beat up his wife, that's usually a good indication; the children have been targets, too."  
  
Lucy had placed the last of the cutlery on the table, and was now lighting the candelabra. As she stepped into the kitchen to grab the casserole that Annie had been cooking, she said, "Um, Mom? Thanks for understanding. I have enough problems trying to figure out how to tell Kevin about me. Oh, and take it easy on Ruthie. She's had a bad enough day as it is."  
  
Supper was a quiet affair that night. After the dishwasher was turned on, Ruthie approached Annie. Eric had been called on business to the hospital; a patient wanted to be prayed over before going into surgery.  
  
"Mom?" said Ruthie. "I think we need to talk."  
  
"Yes we do, Ruthie," agreed Annie. "How about we talk in the living room?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
The two women walked over to the large living room and sat down, each in an oversized armchair.  
  
"Mom," said Ruthie after an awkward pause, "Peter and I are more than just friends now. For the last month, well month and a half, we've been having sex. The first time was at camp."  
  
"I know, Ruthie," said Annie.  
  
"You do?" Ruthie was stunned. "Who told you?"  
  
"No one," replied her mother, "but this morning, when I was cleaning out your bedroom, I found these on the floor."  
  
Annie reached into her purse, and pulled out a re-sealable plastic bag. Inside of it were a condom and a dental dam, which she had carefully placed inside after donning a latex glove of her own.  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes. She almost felt like killing Peter right now for having neglected to destroy the evidence, but since she made the admission to her mother, that was a moot point anyway.  
  
"Ruthie," said Annie, "I know you and Peter love each other very much and that maybe it got to the point where you just couldn't wait anymore. While the two of you were wrong to have premarital sex, I can't blame either of you for 'breaking the waves.' But you know that over the years our family has helped numerous unwed mothers, including teen mothers; and seeing how they struggled with it might have sent you a message that you should wait.  
  
"Sure, they all turned out fine in the end, but it was very, very difficult for each and every one of them. They all love their respective children very, very much but to a person they wish they had waiting until they were either married, or at least had gotten to the point where they could afford to have children."  
  
"But if they had waited, their children wouldn't exist at all," pointed out Ruthie. "I thought you were fond of all of them."  
  
"Sure I am," said Annie in exasperation, "we all are. But that's not the point. I'm quite certain that you are on the Pill right now, and that you and Peter are both very careful when you're together. But chances are far better than even that, eventually, one or both of you are bound to slip up. I'm giving you the third degree right now, and I hope you get this message to Peter, because much to my chagrin Paris pretty much gave up on the idea her son would wait. When she told me before you two went to camp that she had procured a supply of condoms and dental dams, I came very close to punching her lights out!."  
  
"Why didn't you, then?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"One, it's against the law. Two, it would have embarrassed both Eric and Lucy as ministers. Third, I thought you respected yourself enough that you would have said 'no' to having sex, and I thought Peter respected you enough that he never would have asked you in the first place."  
  
"Two points," snapped Ruthie. "One, I do respect myself enough that it was the right decision for me. In fact, he didn't seduce me that first time, I seduced him. And second, Peter does respect me, almost to the point of being deferential to me."  
  
"Maybe in his mind," said Annie, "but not as much as he should."  
  
"If he had said no, Mom, I would have accepted that and left it there. I would not have held it against him."  
  
"If it was just one time, I might have brushed it off as a lapse in judgment and left it there," said Annie. "But you two have been at it for six weeks. SIX WEEKS! Did you really think you could have kept it a secret for long? Lucy, I'm sure, figured you out first. Your other siblings probably have by now as well. Why Eric and I found out last I don't know, but you and Peter need to understand that having an ongoing liaison like that has its consequences, and I just don't mean the risk of getting knocked up."  
  
"So," said Ruthie after a very, very long silence, "I can't see Peter anymore right?" She was biting her lip.  
  
"Your father and I discussed it," Annie answered, "and we came to the conclusion that, as disappointed as we are in both of you, we can't stop you from having any kind of a relationship with your boyfriend even if we wanted to. Even if we grounded you and Paris grounded Peter - which I doubt she would anyway - you two would find a way to continue to have sex."  
  
"So you're okay with it?" Ruthie was confused.  
  
"No, we're not," repeated Annie. "But we can't run your life. This is something only you and Peter can decide on. As much as it reflects badly on your father and your sister as ministers, your father, Lucy and I have concluded that we're not going to stop you. You can still go to his place for study dates, and he's more than welcome over here any time - in the living room and the kitchen. If you and Peter want to have a sexual relationship, you're free to do so, but only at his place or somewhere else - not here in the parsonage. Nevertheless, the three of us have one big condition. And your father and I included Lucy on this one, because she's co-proprietor of the family business."  
  
"Okay, name it." Ruthie suspected she knew what her parents and Lucy had in mind, but she wanted to hear it anyway.  
  
"If you get pregnant," warned Annie, "you and Peter are on your own as to raising it. You both will have a home here if you want it, but you two will be entirely responsible for that baby's expenses other than pre-and post-natal care and the delivery itself, which of course is covered by the HMO. Diapers, formula, the crib and baby clothes, whatever, will be out of your pocket. And don't even think about dropping out of school, because we expect you to finish it and get a high school diploma, summa or magna cum laude, at the same time as the rest of your year - which means no GED either. If you have to work a job night and weekends to pay for the expenses, that'll be your problem. We won't disown you or any of our grandchildren that come through you, but if they are born out of wedlock, that's the price you'll have to pay."  
  
"What if we decide to terminate the pregnancy?"  
  
"Well, you know how we all feel about that," said Annie, "but it's your right. If it comes to that, and you and Peter make the decision to have an abortion, again, that's something that will come out of your own pocket. Don't bother billing it to insurance because the deacons who review the monthly statements will flip out and your father will almost certainly be fired over it - and maybe your sister, too. Do we have an agreement?"  
  
"Deal," said Ruthie, shaking her mother's hand.  
  
"Just one thing, Ruthie," wondered Annie; surprised that Ruthie accepted the terms unconditionally. "Why did you decide to tell us now, before we confronted you?"  
  
"Guess."  
  
"My God, he DIDN"T!"  
  
"Yes. He did. Frank Henderson put in a hidden camera and got plenty of stuff from the women counselors doing all sorts of stuff to themselves and each other, and when it was empty that's where Peter and I did it. It was all there, in black-and-white auto focus. Peter and I felt pretty stupid after that, but we were even angrier that our privacy was violated." Ruthie got up and headed upstairs to review the assignments that were sent to the parsonage; she and Peter had decided to go back to school the next day so they would not fall behind. As she hit the staircase, she turned around and had a question of her own. "Mom?"  
  
"Yes, Ruthie?"  
  
"There's something I want to know about you, and please don't lie. Virgin through high school?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"College?"  
  
"Yes - at least to the middle of my senior year."  
  
"Was Dad the first man you slept with?"  
  
"He was."  
  
"Was that before or after you two eloped?"  
  
"Six months before," admitted Annie. "Once we did, we knew there was no turning back. We were getting married no matter what. Is there anything else?"  
  
"Were you Dad's first?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"No," said Annie. "According to the Colonel, he was a womanizer in high school, and even through the first year of college. But I tamed your father. Once I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Eric, I told him we weren't going to do it until I was ready and that was nearly two and a half years after we met. Really, though, I wasn't going to sleep with him until I could see that he was ready to be responsible both as a minister and as a father. Once he proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt he was ready for the ministry and parenthood, I surrendered myself to him. I knew it might mean giving up on my dream to be a minister alongside him, which is what eventually happened. To this day, I wonder if we had waited a little longer if we both would have been ministers. I have no regrets about my choice, but I still had to accept the consequences.  
  
"You and Peter should keep that in mind, Ruthie. You two may love each other; but you have to make him understand what a woman wants, and he had to make you understand what a man wants. Until both of you reach that point, you two are really doing yourselves a disservice by continuing to have sex."  
  
"We know that, Mom," agreed Ruthie, "which is why we're stopping it for now. We agreed to that at the courthouse. We said three months, but I think it'll be even longer than that. It's not that we're bored with the novelty, but that we really need to concentrate on our studies and it was starting to get tough balancing it all. I'm letting Peter know that."  
  
"Wow," said Annie. "I'm really, really proud of you, Ruthie. I'm glad you figured it out on your own."  
  
"Peter and I would have eventually, anyway," replied Ruthie, "and for what it's worth, I'm glad we're taking a break even though it meant we were confronted by what we did to reach that decision. Now, we can focus on ways to become intimate that don't involve sex or even undressing in front of each other. I really have to get to my homework, Mom."  
  
"Of course, honey, but just one last question. If he popped the question right now, would you accept?"  
  
"Yes," said Ruthie, "and not because of the sex, but in spite of it. He's a real man, not like most of the other guys in high school who just want to put notches in their belt. He's quality, not quantity. I hope - no, I know -- we're each other's first, and last."  
  
"He's that good."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Ruthie gave Annie a sly smile. "Good night, Mom. I love you."  
  
"Night, sweetheart. Love you too."  
  
Ruthie headed upstairs to her attic bedroom. She wanted to check her e- mail quickly before getting to her homework. There was only one message.  
  
It was from Simon. He and Cecilia had an argument the previous night, the last in a series that had gone on for months. She walked out on him, this time for good. This morning, after his morning classes at Tennessee State (he was doing a double major in sociology and psychology - he wanted to be a social worker), he had gone down to the coffee shop and was stunned to see none other than Deena Margaret Stewart, who was studying kinesiology at Vanderbilt and, she was happy to say, into her thirteenth straight year of remission from leukemia. One hour later, Simon told his sister, the two made love and after a brief talk, she agreed to move in with him, neither of her parents objecting to her decision. For what it was worth, she had gotten sick of her roommate in residence anyway.  
  
Ruthie printed off a hard copy and put it aside so she could talk about it with her parents and Lucy the next day. At last, Deena had come to her senses and gotten together with the right guy for her. However, was Simon thinking straight, or was he just on the rebound? 


	10. DSM IV TR

Chapter 10  
  
Two months later, it was Thanksgiving week. For the first time in ages, the extended family was going to gather together for a traditional supper of turkey with the trimmings at the Camden place. Annie and Lucy had been planning the meal for weeks, and were spending Wednesday morning putting together the various courses together and storing them in the refrigerator for cooking the next morning, bright and early at six am.  
  
Chandler and Roxanne were invited over to join the Camdens for the meal, but they declined as his brother Sid had invited them over to his apartment in New York City along with his and Chandler's father, who was still in remission. They were going to have a rather unorthodox meal for turkey day: Porterhouse steaks with fettuccine and Caesar salad. Roxie didn't mind; she was actually looking forward to having something other than poultry for a change.  
  
Mary and Robbie flew in from Fort Lauderdale via Las Vegas, arriving at Glen Oak almost at the same moment as Simon and Deena's flight from Nashville, also via Las Vegas. After hugs all around, they drove down to the courthouse. Lucy and quite a few of Frank Henderson's other victims, along with an impatient press corps and curious onlookers, jammed into the biggest courtroom available. It normally sat 300, but almost 500 were crammed shoulder to shoulder as Henderson, wearing a business suit, walked into the courtroom flanked by his legal defense crew.  
  
When the bailiff called the court to order, all 500 spectators rose along with the District Attorney and his assistants, and the defense. The judge assigned to the case - the chief judge for the county, in fact - slowly stepped in with a portfolio in her arm, and waved the crowd to sit down. She was a widow in her early fifties but already with silver grey hair, a mother of three adult children. She was known for being rather lenient in sentencing and was very critical of federal drug enforcement policies that often tied her hands. Nevertheless, lawyers on both sides of the aisle also respected her because she was extremely fair. She always allowed defense attorneys great latitude in representing their clients, but refused to allow her courtroom to become a circus or to let counsels on either side run the show.  
  
She had a clear memory of one notorious case, which had garnered national attention. Although she never questioned the ultimate result (having concluded the jurors had followed instructions and had reviewed the evidence fairly), she was furious the judge had allowed letting things get so out of control from day one. She vowed it would never happen in her chambers - especially not now.  
  
"Will the defendant please rise?" she was now asking.  
  
Henderson rose from his chair, and faced the dais on which the judge was sitting.  
  
"Frank Henderson, you have been indicted on 36 counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor, 27 counts of statutory rape, 47 of official misconduct, 14 of possession of indecent materials, 5 counts of spousal assault, and 1 count of sexual assault with a deadly weapon. Do you understand the charges as laid forth in the indictments?"  
  
"I do, Your Honor," said Henderson.  
  
"As to the counts, how do you plead to count one?"  
  
"As to all counts, I plead not guilty - by reason of insanity."  
  
There were shouts of outrage from the gallery. The judge slammed her gavel on the stand repeatedly.  
  
"If there is not quiet in this courtroom," she shouted, "I will clear the gallery of everyone except members of the press!" It took a minute, but the room eventually settled down. She now looked down at the defendant.  
  
"You're pleading - insanity?" The chief judge was as stunned as the crowd was outraged.  
  
"Yes, Your Honor, he is," said his lead attorney, now speaking for his client. "It is our intention to argue that he was so traumatized by his father in youth that he now is simply incapable of discerning between right and wrong when it comes to matters of sex."  
  
"The last time I recall, Counsel," said the judge, "nymphomania was not a recognized illness in the DSM-IV-TR." She was referring to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, Fourth Edition, Text Revision - widely considered the shrink's Bible. Every judge and lawyer had a copy on his or her shelf, too - as did many other people who just wanted an interesting reference tome in their collection. Many ministers also had one in their libraries - Eric took its findings seriously; and even Lucy had referred to her father's copy at least once a week during her first year at the pulpit, not surprising, she admitted, since she dealt with all sorts of people as a minister.  
  
"That is correct, Your Honor, it doesn't. Nor is it in the draft version of its anticipated replacement, the DSM-V." conceded the lawyer. "The term the DSM has used since IIIR is 'sexual addiction.' But we intend to prove it IS a mental disorder. After all, being gay was once considered a mental disease in the DSM, not anymore; ditto with post-partum depression, which is now considered a medical condition. Battered wife's syndrome was once laughed at, but it is in the DSM now."  
  
"You're actually expecting a jury to believe that your client acted on instinct rather than free will?"  
  
"No," said Henderson in a calm but deadly serious voice, "I'm asking YOU to believe that, Madam Chief Judge, because no jury ever will. I waive my right to a jury under Article Three Section Two, and Amendment Six, of the United States Constitution and request trial by judge alone."  
  
The judge wasn't sure what to make of that. However, he had certainly caught her attention, as well as everyone else in the courtroom, for now one could hear a pin fall. Since he had pleaded insanity, however, she had a duty to act on that issue first.  
  
"The defendant is remanded into custody for a period of 45 days, in order that a thorough psychiatric evaluation may be conducted by physicians acting for both the State and the Defense. The release bond of $1000 is returned to his surety, Sharon Peterson. Court stands adjourned until January the 9th, when I will entertain opening statements and enter the results of the examinations into the record. I remind counsels for both sides about the rules of disclosure and discovery - I will not suffer a finding of jeopardy or mistrial under any circumstances. Happy Thanksgiving, ladies and gentlemen."  
  
"Happy Thanksgiving, Your Honor," murmured the lawyers.  
  
There was a rush out of the courtroom as the judge hit her gavel. The convoy of cars taking the Camdens and their guests back to the parsonage was subdued. Matt and Sarah, who had taken a mid-day flight in but had missed the hearing, met them there. They, too, were surprised by the sudden turn of events.  
  
By general agreement, everyone decided not to talk about anything even remotely related to the case over the four-day weekend so the group could enjoy time as family and friends. The next day, the group gathered around the table at about five in the afternoon. Annie and Eric flanked opposite ends of the extended table. On one side sat Lucy, Kevin, Jennifer, Charles, Simon, Deena, Richard, Rosina, Ginger and George. On the other side were Matt, Sarah, Mary, Robbie, Sam, David, Ruthie, Peter, Paris, Ruth and the Colonel.  
  
There was one extra place setting, always left in case a homeless person sought food and shelter for the night at the parsonage. While many ministers' families had long followed the custom, the Camdens introduced the tradition only in the year Sam and David were born. Lucy liked this ritual best of all, and knew the origins behind it. It was a common misconception that there were 150 chairs at the Round Table of King Arthur - one for each of the knights. In fact, there were 151, the last chair always reserved for the Holy Grail.  
  
Over the next three hours, the group thoroughly enjoyed themselves and an incredible six-course meal. As the dishes were finally gathered up, Simon rose from his place.  
  
"Um, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "I think this might be as good a time as any to make an announcement. Four days ago, I asked for Deena's hand in marriage and I am happy to say that she accepted. In fact, with both her parents present, we eloped two nights ago in Las Vegas."  
  
As Deena got up from her place and kissed Simon, showing off her diamond engagement and wedding rings, the group applauded, except for Eric and Annie.  
  
"Well, son," said Eric, "congratulations, but you should have waited for us to be there."  
  
"Maybe, Eric," admitted Annie, "but I think this was a long time in coming. I'm so glad you finally found each other again."  
  
"I'm glad we did, Annie," Deena told her new mother-in-law. "Oh, and for the record, we've agreed that I'm keeping my name - but our children will have Simon's."  
  
"I'm just surprised both your parents would've been there, Ms Stewart," said Paris. "From what Ruthie told me, your parents' divorce wasn't pleasant and they couldn't stand the sight of each other."  
  
"Mom and Dad may not be together anymore, Ms Petrovsky," replied Deena, "but they're still friends, and they retained joint custody even after they split up. If they both hadn't been there for my big night, I don't know if I could have lived with myself."  
  
"Well, since we're making announcements," said Mary, rising from her chair, "I have to tell you that Robbie and I eloped last night, too - in fact, we had a double ceremony with Simon and Deena."  
  
She reached into her purse, and for the first time everyone noticed her double rings, too. The picture showed two brides in full wedding regalia and two grooms in tuxedos, all four arm-in-arms.  
  
Eric and Annie looked at each other. It was bad enough they were excluded from one of their children's weddings - but two? The other siblings were feeling miffed that they were left out too. The remaining guests remained quiet but each thought it would have been just plain common courtesy to invite the rest of the family.  
  
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Ruthie finally asked.  
  
"Deena and I - well, we're both pregnant," Mary said.  
  
"She's two months along, and so am I," added Deena.  
  
At that precise moment, Lucy's unborn baby - at twenty weeks - kicked inside of her for the very first time as if giving a twenty-one gun salute to his or her new cousins-to-be. 


	11. Getting to Know You Again

Chapter Eleven  
  
It took nearly a minute for the reality of what Mary and Deena had just said to sink in. At that moment, Hank, Julie and their two children arrived. They apologized for arriving late but he had been called in for a very high-risk delivery. Both mother and child were fine although still in intensive care. Peter took the Hastings' aside and let them know what had just happened, as Annie gave them condensed versions of the meal - in reheatable trays.  
  
Another minute passed by. Lucy was gently pressing against her tummy trying to get her now viable unborn child to settle down. Finally, Ruthie broke the silence.  
  
"Mary and Robbie, I can understand you two," she said. "You got back together, oh, a year and a half ago, so I'm not surprised that you're expecting now. But Simon and Deena - what's your story? If you've been pregnant two months, that would mean you conceived your unborn baby the day you got back together or shortly after."  
  
"Yeah, it would be something like that," conceded Simon.  
  
"Don't you think you should've gotten reacquainted first?" asked Lucy, who had finally stopped grimacing in pain.  
  
"What would there be to reacquaint about, Rev. Kinkirk?" asked Deena. "We picked up where we left off - or should have left off when we broke up four years ago."  
  
"When did you find out you were expecting?" asked Matt.  
  
"Two weeks ago, Matt," said Deena.  
  
"And Simon, did you two get married because you wanted to make her an honest woman?" inquired Sarah.  
  
"Actually, that's not the case, Sarah," replied Simon. "We knew we loved each other from before and we just got off on the wrong foot when we had broken up before. We found each other again and, after a couple of weeks, decided we couldn't be apart anymore. The fact we're expecting a baby is, well, like ice cream on the apple pie."  
  
"It sped up our decision to tie the knot," added Deena, "but we did some checking and no state, as far as we know, makes a distinction between 'legitimate' and 'illegitimate' children anymore. Both groups have the same rights. We just felt it was better that, when it comes time to deliver my baby, the staff at the hospital refers to Simon as my 'husband' rather than just 'the father of my baby.' We want to spend the rest of our lives together, and we're not going to make the mistakes my parents made in their marriage."  
  
"You mentioned that your parents were present at the wedding, Ms Stewart," pointed out Richard. "How did they react to the news you were two months pregnant? Or did you tell them after the ceremony?"  
  
"That's a fair question, Rabbi Glass," said Deena. "They knew, of course. They were reluctant at first at the idea of my moving in with Simon in the first place, but they said I was an adult now and could make my own choices. They're really looking forward to becoming grandparents. So are their new spouses. They were there too for the wedding - I couldn't ask for better stepparents. It's kind of cool having two moms and two dads, even as an adult."  
  
"Can you afford it?" asked Rosina. "Being parents while going to school?"  
  
"It's going to be tough," said Simon, "but we'll manage. We talked to a couple of financial counselors and we've already prepared a budget. Between our part-time jobs and the money left over from our full scholarships, yes, we'll be okay."  
  
"And Mary," said Annie, "what's your story? Forget the Pill?"  
  
"Of course not," replied Mary. "I stopped taking it all together. Robbie and I decided we just wanted to have children now, even though we weren't married or ready to tie the knot. But when we made a layover in Vegas and ran into Simon and Deena entirely by chance, I understood their reasoning for wanting to have their nuptials and popped the question to Robbie. He accepted and ten minutes later Deena and I were over at a bridal shop buying gowns on consignment while Robbie and Simon went to a tuxedo rental store.  
  
"Besides," she added, turning to Eric and Lucy, "I remembered that I have a father and sister as ministers and didn't want to embarrass either of you guys."  
  
"So when's the honeymoon?" asked Ruthie finally.  
  
"During the Christmas break," said Deena. "Simon and I are going to London ."  
  
". and Robbie and I are going to the Bahamas," said Mary.  
  
"Interesting choice of destinations," Peter said. "The Bahamas I can understand, it's just an hour off the Florida coast. But why did you and Deena choose London, Simon?"  
  
"It's just a magical place at Christmas," said Simon. "Besides, nearly every newlywed couple goes to Hawaii or Fiji or on a cruise. Deena and I wanted to do something different." He turned to his wife and gave her a kiss. Mary and Robbie leaned on each other.  
  
"Wow. You two really do love each other, Simon," said Ruthie. "I thought you were nuts when you told me you were back together. But I can see now that it's the real thing."  
  
"Well, we can't wait until the day you two get married," said Sarah to Ruthie and Peter.  
  
"We're not even thinking about that right now," said Peter. "We have enough on our plate, what with all that's going on - oops, sorry, but that's just the way it is. Well, thank you, Mrs. Camden and Rev. Kinkirk, for a great dinner. Mom and I just loved it."  
  
"You really did yourselves proud," agreed Paris, as she rose from her place.  
  
Peter turned to Ruthie, kissed her goodnight, and got up as well. "See you at school tomorrow." He winked. She winked back. Then Peter and Paris left for home.  
  
It was another hour before Rabbi Glass left with his wife, their daughter and her husband to return to his home for the night. So did the Hastings' family. Eric was left to sort out the accommodations for the rest of the group; as Annie, Mary, Lucy and Ruthie finished washing the dishes.  
  
"Okay, Sam and David can sleep with Annie and me tonight. Ginger, you can take the guest room. Mom, Dad, you can use Sam and David's room, if you don't mind sleeping in separate beds."  
  
"Not at all, son," said the Colonel. Ruth agreed.  
  
"Mary and Robbie, you can grab a couple of sleeping bags from the storage closet, and use Ruthie's bedroom in the attic. I'm sure you don't mind."  
  
"Not at all," smiled Ruthie. "It'll be nice to have some company up there again . unless Robbie has a problem with it."  
  
"Why would I have a problem, Snookie?" asked a surprised Robbie.  
  
"Well, you and Mary . I would have thought that ."  
  
"We can wait till we get back to the Fort to do that again - and Mary and I, we've got another fifty years ahead of us. Don't worry about it, Snookie. If it's a problem for you, we can sleep on the couch in the living room. There's a rollaway inside the loveseat, if I recall correctly?"  
  
"It does," said Mary. "It's okay, Dad. We'll stay down here tonight."  
  
"And we'll go down to the recreation room in the basement," said Simon, referring to Deena and himself. "We'll grab those sleeping bags and rest them on some air mattresses. We don't want to impose on Lucy and Kevin and their kids."  
  
"Tell you what, Annie," Ginger told her stepdaughter. "I'll look after Sam and David tonight. I'll grab the cot from the garage and bunk with them in their bedroom. John, you and Ruth can have the guest room. Knowing you two, I'm sure you couldn't stand a night apart after all these years. I just wish Charles was here tonight - he would have been so happy for Mary and Simon, having finally gotten their lives back on track and finding their respective dream mates to carry on the family."  
  
"He would have. He was a good man, and a good friend. Thanks, Ginger," said the Colonel. "We owe you."  
  
"All right then," said Eric, as everyone departed to do his or her bidding.  
  
A half-hour later, everyone had found their respective places. Annie and Eric, alone in their bedroom, thought it was nice that the family was gathered once more. But as they made love to each other, they couldn't stop thinking how weird it was that so many couples would be doing the same thing in different parts of the house that night, and at the same moment too. There was the Colonel and Ruth, Lucy and Kevin, Mary and Robbie, and Simon and Deena. If Peter and Ruthie hadn't called a moratorium on the more intimate nature of their courtship, they probably would have been in the attic doing the same thing as well.  
  
A half hour later, the minister and his wife laid side-by-side, holding hands and kissing each other all over.  
  
"It's just so wonderful, Eric," said Annie, perspiring from head to toe, "that we're going to be grandparents again. There aren't just one but three more little ones on the way."  
  
"It's great, Annie," agreed Eric, who was sweating twice as much. "I just wish at this moment we could have been able to conceive another to make our happiness complete. Alas, that will never be."  
  
"I'm fifty-three years old, honey. Even if I was still fertile, my body is in no condition to carry another. The risk of having a child with Down's syndrome or other birth defects is, like, one in five at my age; not to mention any of a number of complications I could have if I got pregnant again. Seven is enough, thank you very much. With Lucy and their soon to be three children plus Ruthie and the twins, we still have seven to take care of - either in fact or morally."  
  
"But if you could get pregnant one more time, would you consider it, Annie?"  
  
"Are you talking about a test-tube baby?" Annie sat up on the bed, inadvertently releasing the bed covers and exposing the top half of herself to her husband. Even at her advanced age, she still had the shape of a woman in her late thirties or early forties, the product of intense and regular exercise.  
  
Eric was getting turned on once more but Annie quickly covered herself again - once was enough for tonight, she thought.  
  
"Eric, I'm flattered you still think I have it in me," said Annie, "but wouldn't the deacons object to that?"  
  
"What would their objection be?"  
  
"They'd be upset if we conceived a child in other than the normal way."  
  
"There are at least fifty kids in our church who are the products of science. No, I stand corrected, they are God's creation, but science gave Him a helping hand."  
  
"That's not my point, Eric," said Annie. "If we had been infertile into our forties or so, it wouldn't be an issue with the deaconate. You're talking about extending my clock. At this rate, you'd be 73 and I 72 when our final son or daughter graduated. I'm sorry Eric. I know how much it means to you, but unless the doctors had me wrong on menopause and I could conceive one more child the natural way, I won't do it. The money we'd spend on treatments could better go to help the community - or help a barren couple in our church conceive a child or adopt one. I'll always love you for letting me be the mother of your seven children. However, I think we've more than done the Lord's bidding to 'be fruitful and multiply.' Good night, Eric."  
  
Annie turned out the lights and turned to her side of the bed, facing away from her spouse. Eric did the same. He could understand his wife's apprehension but he felt so certain that he wanted just one more child - a daughter.  
  
Annie, meanwhile, started drifting off to sleep. Eric had no idea that she had an appointment with Hank the next day over at the hospital. She had a weird feeling something was not right with her ever since a week or so after the sex scandal broke wide open. Glen Oak had been hit by a freak blackout, and she and her husband were in the kitchen at the time having a late evening tea. They wouldn't leave there until the next morning when the lights came back on at six am.  
  
The next day, she showed up bright and early at eight am. Lucy had been deputized to cook breakfast for the gang back at the parsonage. Hank sat her on the examination table and turned on the ultrasound. In less than two minutes, she was rushed into the emergency room. The sonar showed she had an ectopic pregnancy and the unborn baby, a girl, was at six weeks but so badly malformed at that stage that it had no chance of surviving inside of Annie beyond a couple more weeks - and at that stage, a miscarriage might kill or seriously harm the mother.  
  
Hank had no choice but to perform an abortion right there and then on his sister-in-law and in the process also removed the fallopian tube, which had effectively been destroyed by the fetus growing inside of it. Annie consented to the procedure, but she was devastated. Eric's dream had come true and had now been vanquished - her body had rejected the baby, just as she feared would happen. How she was going to explain this to her husband she did not know. 


	12. The Bribe

Chapter Twelve  
  
I t was a few days before Christmas, and school had let out for two weeks. Annie still had not told her husband that she had had a miscarriage. Lucy was now into her fifth month of her pregnancy and still maintaining a full schedule at the church. Mary was into her third month with her and Robbie's child; and Deena was also into her third month, with her and Simon's baby.  
  
Peter and Ruthie were maintaining their self-imposed moratorium on sex, but were finding better ways to express their feelings for each other; much to the relief of both of their respective parents. They were still making out on the odd occasion, this morning in the living room at the parsonage, when the phone rang. Ruthie picked it up.  
  
"Camden Residence; this is Ruthie Camden. How may I direct your call, please?"  
  
"Ruthie, hi, it's Malcolm, Rhiannon's twin brother."  
  
"Hello, Malcolm," said Ruthie as she gently pushed her boyfriend aside and turned on the speakerphone, "Merry Christmas to you, and your sister."  
  
"Thank you, and many happy returns. Listen, we need your help. Is Peter there with you?"  
  
"Right here," said Peter. "What's up?"  
  
"It's Rhiannon's boyfriend," sighed Malcolm. He's gotten fed up with this whole thing, and wants to drop the charges against Henderson."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me," said Ruthie. "He gets sodomized by that, that ."  
  
Ruthie chose this moment to say a certain expletive.  
  
". and now he wants to forget about it? Give me Rhiannon, please."  
  
"I'm right here," Rhiannon said, "I'm using the speakerphone, too. I tried to reason with him but he said something like, 'Maybe it was my fault, maybe I wasn't doing good enough at camp or I was giving him the wrong impression, I just want it to end.'"  
  
"Well, it wasn't his fault," Peter said angrily. "He knows that."  
  
"That's why we need your help - and Ruthie's," replied Rhiannon. "We're driving up to where he lives to try to convince him to change his mind and keep his part of the case active. If anyone can convince him to do that, Ruthie, it's you."  
  
"When are you going up there?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"In about an hour," replied Malcolm.  
  
"Geez, it's our turn to baby-sit Charles and Jennifer," groaned Peter.  
  
"We're going to meet my boyfriend over at the zoo over there," said Rhiannon. "The twins will love that, and besides, my new van that my parents got me for my birthday has safety anchors for the child seats."  
  
"Pick us up here whenever you're ready," said Ruthie. "There's something fishy going on there. Your boyfriend wouldn't be backing out unless someone got to him."  
  
As Ruthie hung up the phone, Peter turned to his girlfriend.  
  
"What do you mean, 'someone got to him'?"  
  
"Someone tried to buy him off, to shut up," said Ruthie stubbornly. "He backs off, soon other complainants will too. It would become a roller coaster. By the time it goes to trial in a couple of weeks, the only charges standing will be related to just two tapes - Lucy, and you and me. Roxie told me that possession of child porn is just a misdemeanor in this state. He'll be back to work in no time flat!"  
  
"Well, at least we get to spend the day at the zoo while we talk him out of it," shrugged Peter.  
  
Forty-five minutes later, a van pulled up, and Ruthie strapped in the child seats into Rhiannon's van, having had a lot of practice doing so before with Sam and David and Annie's van. After an hour's drive they found their way to the zoo. Rhiannon met her boyfriend at the appointed meeting place, and the group started wandering the park.  
  
They eventually found their way to the koala exhibit. Peter thought they were cute bears, but Ruthie quickly reminded her boyfriend that koalas aren't bears but marsupials, related genetically to the kangaroo. Peter quickly admitted his faux pas, and the group sat down on a bench. An ice cream cart came by and the teenagers bought chocolate covered ice cream bars while Ruthie bought her niece and nephew small ice cream cones. After nibbling on her bar for a minute, she decided to cut to the chase.  
  
"Larry," she addressed Rhiannon's boyfriend, "I can understand that you're starting to get cold feet about this whole thing. But this is the worst time to be backing out. The DA says that if there's one case where they're certain of getting a conviction, it's yours. Why would you want to back out now?"  
  
"No, Ruthie, you've misunderstood, and so has Rhiannon," replied Larry. "I have no intention of backing out. I was told that I should consider backing out; in fact I was offered money to do so. I turned it down, naturally."  
  
"Who offered you a bribe?" asked Peter, shocked. He was gently brushing down Jennifer's hair, which had been blown up by the wind, with his fingers  
  
"Henderson's girlfriend, Sharon," replied Larry. "She thinks everyone's got a price. Well I do, but she couldn't afford it on something like this."  
  
"Wait a minute," said Malcolm. "You tried to blackmail her?"  
  
"No, she tried to bribe me first, and named a price. I told her I thought it was an insult and told her she couldn't afford what it would take. She really couldn't, not on her salary anyway."  
  
"But she does have power of attorney," pointed out Rhiannon to her boyfriend, "and while he's in pre-trial assessment she's managing his paychecks. If this comes out in trial, it could look really, really bad."  
  
"I know," admitted Larry, "but regardless of the outcome of the criminal case, all of us victims are going to file a civil suit, remember? I was just testing the waters, seeing what it would take to put an end to this whole thing. If he admitted guilt and bought all of us off for an appropriate sum, I'd be satisfied to have the charges dropped as long as he quit the public service."  
  
"I'm not for sale at any price," said Ruthie stoutly, "and I say that even though he merely invaded Peter's and my privacy. He violated your integrity, and your girlfriend's, and heaven knows how many others. Look, Larry, all you have to say is you were just shooting the breeze, and repudiate any statement you may have made about it. We need a united front, now more than ever. We're counting on you."  
  
Larry thought about it for a minute. Finally, he groaned.  
  
"You're right, Ruthie. I've made many friends the last few weeks. We have common ears. I can't give up."  
  
"You won't regret it," grinned Ruthie. "It'll be painful reliving it all, but you won't regret it."  
  
"I sure hope not. Well, it was nice seeing you all again. And I'll call you tonight, Rhiannon."  
  
Larry kissed his girlfriend and shook hands with everyone else.  
  
As the group started the long walk back to the car, Ruthie stopped, and looked to the ground. She could see blood spattered on it.  
  
"Ruthie, did you forget to ." Peter started, but Ruthie waved her hand.  
  
"You know it's not my time of the month. Unless . oh, God, no! I have to get to a hospital!"  
  
A panic button was nearby. Within a few minutes, Ruthie stepped into an ambulance, which took her to the clinic, the van trailing close behind.  
  
Ruthie feared that she was having a miscarriage, something having gone wrong with Peter's and her choice of birth control. That, indeed, proved to be the case. The fetus was at thirteen weeks. She did the math quickly in her head and figured she and Peter must have conceived the unborn baby - a boy - when they made love after the candlelight dinner at his place.  
  
Peter was there to console Ruthie. But he was also beside himself. He was certain he used protection that night but realized he might not have used it properly. However, when asked, he did acknowledge that he was the father.  
  
Ruthie's situation was stable enough that it was handled on an outpatient basis, but she quickly remembered Annie's ultimatum and realized the consequences when the insurance forms got back to the deacons. Therefore, she quietly requested the doctors state that she underwent treatment for "an abdominal hemorrhage," and that the situation was treated on the spot with stitches and did not require further observation.  
  
"You'll get paid more for that than a miscarriage," she told the doctor in the ER. "Besides, it's not like the HMOs are ever going to find out what you really did on me. They're idiots anyway."  
  
As the group left the hospital and Ruthie and Peter were pushing the baby carriages again, she turned to her boyfriend, Rhiannon and Malcolm.  
  
"This stays between the four of us," she warned them. "If anyone asks you, it's 'deny, deny, deny,' all the way."  
  
Peter admired Ruthie for covering the bases. Nevertheless, he could not help but be worried that the rebellious girl the other Camdens siblings remembered ruefully might be back once more. He turned to the elder twins.  
  
"Where have we heard that one before? 'Deny, deny, deny?'" 


	13. Perjury in the First Degree

Chapter Thirteen  
  
The Christmas holidays had passed, and it was now January 9th, the date of the start of the trial. The courtroom was packed once more. The Chief Judge of the county entered the room and she called for order once more. Nearly all of the accusers were standing by to testify against their tormentor, in an anteroom just down the hall. One person who wasn't there was Sharon, the girlfriend of the accused. Larry's accusations of Sharon's bribery had led to her being charged with obstruction of justice. She was now being held without bail.  
  
As for Henderson, he had completed his assessment as per court order, but his bail too was now revoked as his surety was now void and no one else stepped forward to keep him out of jail. His face was inscrutable, but most of the spectators suspected his defense team had at least a few tricks up their sleeves.  
  
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," said the Chief Judge. "We are on the record in the matter of 05-GO-372939458231, State of California v. Frank Henderson.  
  
"In accordance with my previous order, counsels for the State and the Defense retained psychiatric experts to examine Defendant Henderson. Both sides have disclosed their respective findings to the other party, and I am now entering those findings into the evidentiary record as State Exhibit No. 1 and Defense Exhibit No. 1, respectively."  
  
The examinations showed that Henderson certainly had rather eccentric views about sex, especially sex with minors. Both psychiatrists had concluded his claim that he was a "sexual addict" as per the DSM-IV-TR was a valid one, but neither doctor could assert with assurance either that he could distinguish between right and wrong or he was just plain insane.  
  
"Mr. Henderson," continued the judge, "you previously indicated you wished to waive your right to a jury. You have an opportunity to reconsider that now." She looked down at the defendant, hoping he might at least ask for a jury along with a change of venue, since he was convinced no jury in Glen Oak would treat him fairly.  
  
"No, Your Honor," replied Henderson, "I stand by my previous decision. I trust your good judgment, Ma'am, and will abide by whatever your conclusions are. I can accept the consequences also."  
  
"Very well." The judge sighed. She turned to the District Attorney's desk. "Counsel for the State, are you ready to deliver the opening address?"  
  
"We are, Your Honor," replied Janice Carter, the ADA who had examined Ruthie and Peter at the Grand Jury. "Madam Chief Judge, Counsels for the Defense, this is a very simple case. Frank Henderson, a man of high authority in this community, stands accused of betraying the trust of some of the most solemn charges our society can offer: our children. We will show that a number of students in this town and elsewhere unwittingly placed themselves in the purview of Mr. Henderson, a man who gratified himself by taking advantage of those students ."  
  
Janice went on for nearly a half-hour describing the case the county DA had asked her to prove. In the back, dozens of newspaper reporters were furiously typing notes into their portable computers while a pool camera was broadcasting the trial to all of the local network affiliates and to some of the national news channels.  
  
"Mr. Henderson will try to convince this court that either he didn't know what he was doing, or he couldn't help himself," Janice concluded. "I humbly submit, Madam Chief Judge, that assertion makes a mockery of due process as well as the DSM-IV-TR. Henderson is a menace to all we hold dear. He knew exactly what he was doing, and enjoyed it at the expense of his victim's misery. We will not only prove that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all charges, but that he is also a 'Dangerous Sexual Predator' and merits being confined not to a term of months or even years, but indefinitely."  
  
While California law allowed the State to seek such a designation against repeat rapists, this was the first anyone had heard of any intention to go for what was effectively a sentence of life without parole as rarely if ever a selected 'dangerous offender' was released back into the community. In fact, as late as the previous evening, the DA had decided against it, thinking that Henderson's actions while reprehensible might have been the result of impulse and that he could still be treated.  
  
Janice, however, decided on it just a few minutes before, figuring she had nothing to lose by doing so. Henderson truly sickened her - in fact, she couldn't stand breathing the same air he was exhaling at this moment.  
  
The lead defense attorney stood up. He was going to ask for a recess, but figured the judge might overrule him. He decided to wait until closing statements to challenge his colleague on the issue she had just raised.  
  
"Madam Chief Judge, Counsels for the State," he began, "this is a simple case, but not for the reasons my learned friend asserts. Mr. Henderson concedes he did have sexual relations with a number of his accusers and that he did use surveillance technology to invade the privacy of the rest, but he asserts that in all cases the activity was consensual in the former or that the accusers should have reasonably expected in a school setting that all their activities would be monitored in the latter.  
  
"As a matter of law, therefore, we assert that the defendant is not guilty. If, however, Your Honor finds that the accusations are true beyond a reasonable doubt, we submit that Mr. Henderson was not capable of discerning what was right and what was wrong; that he could not appreciate the impact his actions would have had on the accusers. In short, he would be not criminally responsible by reason of mental deficiency."  
  
In one fell swoop, the defense had turned the tables on Janice. Since she was asking for a 'bifurcated' or two-stage trial, one to determine guilt and one to determine whether he was a menace to society, it was perfectly reasonable for Henderson to ask for bifurcation at the verdict stage. He had just changed his plea to 'not guilty,' period - but was now giving the judge the option of three verdicts: guilty, not guilty, or insane.  
  
Janice decided to pass on a rebuttal. She instead decided to call her first witness.  
  
"The State calls Lucy Camden Kinkirk to the stand."  
  
A side door was opened, the anteroom where the witnesses were waiting their turns. After the perfunctory swearing in, Lucy sat in the witness box. She slowly eased her way into the chair as she was now six months pregnant.  
  
"Mrs. Kinkirk ." began Janice.  
  
"Reverend," corrected Lucy.  
  
"Sorry, Reverend, I stand corrected," said Janice. "You are one of the associate ministers of Glen Oak Community Church, are you not?"  
  
"I am."  
  
"How long have you held that post?"  
  
"It's been about a year and a half," replied Lucy. "I was hired right after my ordination."  
  
"Your father, Rev. Eric Camden, is the head minister," added Janice.  
  
"He is."  
  
"Rev. Kinkirk, would you tell us where or when you met the defendant, Frank Henderson?"  
  
"I only heard of him recently," admitted Lucy. I never had him as a teacher in high school. And please, it's Lucy."  
  
"The State enters into evidence People's Exhibit No. 2." Janice played the tape of Lucy fondling herself in the girl's restroom. At the Grand Jury, Janice only showed her a brief portion of the tape. This time, however, the State ran the entire twenty-minute episode. Lucy was obviously embarrassed by it, but she was ready for the inevitable questions.  
  
"Lucy, why were you there that day, and what made you do that?" asked Janice.  
  
Lucy recounted what had happened the previous few days. She admitted that at the time she and Annie weren't on the best of terms, but that both had long considered the matter closed.  
  
"Your witness," said Janice.  
  
"Reverend," began the defense attorney (choosing to address Lucy formally), "were you in any relationships at the time of this incident?"  
  
"If you're asking me if I was going steady at the time, no, Counselor, I wasn't," replied Lucy. "I did have a number of friends, both male and female, but they were all friends, and that's all."  
  
"In the months and weeks leading up to this incident," continued the lawyer, "did you ever get the impression that any of a number of members of your family had feelings for you beyond what would normally be expected in a non-arms length relationship?"  
  
"No," said Lucy.  
  
"Did you ever have feelings for your parents or siblings that went beyond what would be expected of a fourteen-year old adolescent girl?"  
  
"I don't think that's relevant," said Lucy angrily. "But since you're going to insist, I'll confess, yes I did have feelings like that at that age for Matt and Simon, and even Mary. But never my parents and definitely not Ruthie. No, I spoke it out loud; and no, I categorically never acted on those impulses. But what do you expect? At that age, you get turned on by everything - and I do mean everything, even a stupid rock. Even then, what possible relevance does that have in the case against Mr. Henderson? My credibility is not on the line here."  
  
"As a minister's daughter," said the lawyer, "the community holds you to a higher standard; as a minister now, an even higher one than that."  
  
"I'm aware of that," seethed Lucy. "But I'm a human being, too. Juveniles are generally held to a lower standard because they don't always appreciate between right and wrong. Your client was already an adult when he invaded my privacy. Whether he knew what he was doing was wrong is something only Her Honor can decide. But I've made up my mind."  
  
"No further questions."  
  
Lucy stepped down. The next witness was Rod, now a lieutenant in the Marines. He was followed over the next few days by Jordan, Jimmy Moon, Suzanne, Laurie and Shelby, Karen, Mike Pierce and several other victims, including his estranged wife. They were followed by Larry and Rhiannon. Finally, at the end of Week One, Peter and Ruthie had their turns on the stand.  
  
Ruthie spoke last. On cross-examination, she conceded that her relationship with Peter was not merely platonic or a one-night stand, but an on-going physical and a spiritual one as well. When she was asked if Peter had gotten her pregnant, however, Ruthie paused. Peter had not been asked if he had knocked up his girlfriend, and from his place in the spectator section where he sat after his testimony, he clenched his fists on his sides feeling that the double standard was totally unfair.  
  
"Are you now pregnant?" the lawyer persisted.  
  
"Objection," said Janice in exasperation, but the judge overruled it and insisted that Ruthie answer the question.  
  
"No, I am not pregnant right now," said Ruthie. "I did have an abdominal hemorrhage just before Christmas, but whether that was a result of a miscarriage or something else is something I really don't know. I was so distraught that I don't even remember now being told I had had a miscarriage or whatever it was. If I was pregnant, maybe the doctors were doing me a favor by not reporting it to the HMO. Besides, three of my siblings are expecting right now. It'd be weird if it was four out of seven."  
  
As Ruthie left the stand, having been excused, she looked her boyfriend and their friends. While her answer was technically truthful, Peter, Rhiannon and Malcolm all knew she had just committed perjury because it wasn't the WHOLE truth. She had been pregnant; the doctor at the hospital had told them as much. But she was in a catch-22. To admit she told the doctor to lie would cost him his license and possibly her future insurance coverage. But she was protected by the physician-patient privilege. On the other hand, to admit to lying on the stand would cost her freedom and throw the entire case into disarray.  
  
But she felt justified in fibbing a little. After all, as Simon once said (in reference to the Bill and Monica Show), politicians figured out ways of skirting the laws they had passed all the time.  
  
Janice had no idea what had just happened. Still, she felt that the entire matter had been more than proven. The state rested its case. 


	14. Frank and His Sisters and His Children

Chapter Fourteen  
  
Ruthie's admission that she and Peter Petrovsky might have conceived a child threw the Camden parsonage into disarray. Actually, the family read right through it; they realized she really had been pregnant. Technically, Annie's ultimatum from a few months before didn't apply in this case since, as Ruthie indicated, she miscarried rather than had an abortion. Nevertheless, supper was an extremely quiet affair that night. Food was passed around by hand signals, and the only mention of family was that Mary and Deena were now into month four of their pregnancies and doing quite nicely and that Sarah and Matt were considering whether now would be a good time to start their family.  
  
Eric and Annie felt more disapproval for their youngest daughter having had sex with Peter at all than ever before. However they decided against grounding her, as getting the scare of her life was punishment enough. For what it was worth, she and Peter might resume their intimacy at any time in the near future no matter what anyone said - even though they said three months and that was into late February, more than a month way.  
  
Ruthie in fact had decided she couldn't wait any longer. She and Peter belonged together, and the few times they had been one human being convinced her they were meant to be united forever. Peter also concluded that their relationship had to resume no matter what anyone said about it. When he told his mother Paris that he and Ruthie were going to start having sex again, she simply warned her son to be more careful the next time, for his girlfriend might wind up carrying a child to term if they weren't.  
  
Lucy, meanwhile, was in the office over at the church while Kevin was looking after Jennifer and Charles. The entire week had been trying for the entire family. First, she had to publicly admit that she wasn't Daddy's little girl and hadn't been in ages. Second, Ruthie's indiscretions had also come out despite Lucy's attempts to keep it all under wraps. It was her turn once more to lead the Sunday service. This was one sermon that was gong to be very difficult to write - even more so than the one she had written about coping with abuse by parents or authority figures.  
  
She decided to cancel the Sunday school classes for that week. She recognized her sermon was going to tread on very sensitive ground, but it was impossible to hide children from the very real issues she wanted to talk about.  
  
She had just gone through her sixth draft and discarded it. She began her seventh on her father's laptop when there was a knock at the door. It was Lou, the church treasurer.  
  
"Hi Lou," said Lucy quietly. "Come on in."  
  
"Good evening, Lucy," said Lou. "Rough day?"  
  
"Please don't ask." Lucy knew the deacons had been in an emergency session all day. She suspected that both she and Ruthie had been the topic of discussion. "Let me guess. You're firing me."  
  
"No."  
  
"You've dis-fellowshiped Ruthie."  
  
"No, we haven't," said Lou. "Eric and Annie have welcomed unwed mothers into their home and our church for years. It'd be high handed of us had we taken the opposite tack against your own sister - even though she did miscarry, or it looks like she did."  
  
"Well, what about me?" asked Lucy in exasperation. "You know what I did. It's not exactly the kind of thing a Christian would do now, is it?"  
  
"You actually think there are a lot of single women in our congregation who don't do that?" Lou laughed. "Come on, Lucy, you were only fourteen or fifteen at the time. You thought you had privacy, and you didn't. Don't worry about it. The board's meeting had nothing to do with that. It was time for your annual performance review."  
  
Lucy had totally forgotten about that. She looked at Lou nervously as she rubbed her tummy - the unborn baby was kicking like crazy again.  
  
"And?" she asked.  
  
"Well, your probation runs another six months, but you've proven yourself worthy as a minister. We've decided to take you off the probationary period," replied Lou, "and make you a permanent Associate Minister, along with a 25% pay raise, effective immediately. Future increases, like your father and Chandler, will be tied to inflation and performance."  
  
Lucy grinned. The increase brought her stipend to about $25,000 per year. Along with her husband's pay as a police officer, they now had plenty to pay the rent on the garage apartment, handle their immediate expenses, and still have a little more extra for their children's scholarship funds which they had wanted to start right when the twins were born but couldn't as they were pinching every penny.  
  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lucy breathlessly got up from her chair and gave Lou a big hug. "I really, really appreciate the vote of confidence! I know I've brought in some changes the last little while that threw a lot of people off, and I was worried that it might've been too much."  
  
"Nonsense," said Lou, getting ready to leave. "You're doing as much as any of us could ask of you and more. You are your father's daughter, and the conscience of Chandler. All three of you are the reason why we exist as a congregation. Keep up the good work. Oh, do you know the sermon topic for Sunday? We have to run off the bulletins tonight."  
  
"Make it 'TBA' - to be announced," replied Lucy. "I want to talk about what's been going on this past week, but I don't want to jeopardize Henderson's right to a fair trial either - as much scum that he is."  
  
"You'll think of something," replied Lou. "Good night, Reverend Kinkirk."  
  
"Good night, Lou."  
  
Lucy sat back down in her chair, and finally started typing the draft she had wanted to write all along.  
  
On Sunday morning, the church was jammed beyond capacity as many eager people waited to hear what Lucy had to say. After leading everyone in the Lord's Prayer, Lucy looked around nervously. Finally, she spoke.  
  
"Brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude in the vote of confidence the deacons of this church have given me; as well as that of my parents and especially my siblings. As I'm sure all of you know by now, it's been more difficult for Ruthie than it has been for me. She appreciates, however, the support you've given her, too. She asked me to tell you that she and Mr. Petrovsky apologize to any and all of you who may have been offended by their actions in the past few months.  
  
"They request that their privacy continue to be respected. However, they both want to lead by example from now on, at least in the public sense. Now that I am permanently employed full-time by this church and not just on probationary contract, it has become impossible for me to continue my volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. However, Ruthie and Peter will be picking up my shifts, and I thank them for that."  
  
There was sustained applause. Ruthie turned from her place, and shook Peter's hand.  
  
"Of course," Lucy continued as the applause diminished, "they know that doesn't excuse themselves for their actions. I also know that, no matter what I say about it, I can't take back what I did nearly ten years ago. But many of our kids are doing those things today and much worse, and maybe we need to understand why.  
  
"As I mentioned a few months back, I get worried at times about the world our kids live in. I'm a mother of twins and am three months away from a third, as you all know. Mary and Simon will each become parents sometime in late May or early June. Some have criticized me for being both a parent and a minister saying that I can't serve both God and man. I counter by saying I can't serve God without serving my fellow humans first, and especially my own children and siblings.  
  
"A few years back, I'm sure you remember, the janitor over at Simon's school was nearly fired because he claimed to be talking directly to God. Now, I don't know if he was or if he wasn't. However, as Simon told me, Dad pointed out to the school board that no one questioned HIS sanity or the rest of us Camdens whenever we claimed to talk to God because our family was in His service, but that He was in the service of people.  
  
"In the service of God, however, even the most devout among us can become the most fallible. That would explain Mary's trashing the school gym; or Simon having an affair with an ex-hooker; or Mom and Dad both being tempted to have affairs a few years back. It also explains why Ruthie and Peter did what they did, and why I did what I did. We're all only human, and as humans we're fallible to any of a number of failings.  
  
"As Ruthie reminded me some time ago, before this whole story broke open, just because we're PK's doesn't give us wisdom, fortitude, right judgment, patience and self-restraint, among other virtues. Only the Holy Spirit can give us those gifts, and it is up to us alone to decide how we use those gifts, or not at all."  
  
Lucy paused, and thought about all her classmates who had been taken advantage of by Frank and all the others. She knew that there were some who would never trust anyone ever again. At least she and Ruthie and most of their colleagues had someone to turn to, even if belatedly. Others had no one to turn to at all. In disgust, she tore up the remainder of her prepared text and addressed the congregation off the cuff.  
  
"Here's the problem, as I see it. Our grandparents are the Greatest Generation. They were brought up to trust everything that was told to them. When Hitler came along, he was seen as a real enemy because he was; and that was before the full extent of the 'Final Solution' was known. So they fought, both men and women, so that we here in America, and throughout the democratic West generally, could be free from tyranny; although we were also hypocrites because we had internment camps of our own, for the Japanese.  
  
"A few years later, during the Cold Scare, Joe McCarthy gets the idea that it's okay to question people's patriotism just because they read the 'Communist Manifesto' or 'Mein Kampf' in passing or out of curiosity, or they attended a radical meeting or whatever. These included the same people who had fought and were willing to lay down their lives for freedom of expression just a few years before.  
  
"Eventually, that got shot down. President Eisenhower, however, refused to disassociate himself from the rogue elements in the ruling party that tried to get away with it. Partly why Hollywood is so overwhelmingly Democratic - I don't know. He also refused to enforce the Supreme Court's decisions on desegregation for three whole years. Well, the people got insulted and when they finally got the chance to vote - the General had to retire because of the two-term limit - they went to the other party. Our parents, the children of the Greatest Generation, then got dragged into a war in Indochina for no apparent reason. Well, so did my grandfather, the Colonel, who can claim that he fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam - as did a lot of veterans called back into service.  
  
"Well, anyway, they all distrusted the very elements their parents were told to trust. Remember the saying, 'Don't trust anyone over 30?' And then came along the realization we had been lied to all along, thanks to the Pentagon Papers. And a year after Danny Ellsberg leaked those documents came Watergate. Any semblance of trust we had for government, and the media, was gone forever.  
  
"Well, the Baby Boom eventually settled down, they turned 30 themselves and started having us - Generations X and Y. Having never trusted their parents, they decided they couldn't trust their kids either. So there was no line of communication. And truth be told, although I was lucky enough to have parents I could talk to about most things, I still couldn't really talk to them about everything. Neither could my siblings.  
  
"So kids today turn to drugs, or sex, even more so than our parents did. Even we Camdens weren't totally exempt, as you all know - Mary did experiment with pot, and Simon and Ruthie each found outlets in sex. And the rest of us have all gotten in some kind of trouble at one time or another. Maybe it's because we thought we knew better, or something. But there's one thing we all know, each of us faltered at a time when we just couldn't talk to our parents for some reason, just as you couldn't talk to your parents when you were our age or younger.  
  
"So parents, please, talk to your kids before it's too late. I don't mean smothering them because that'll make things even worse. I mean have open and frank discussions with them. Don't be quick to say you'll disown them for something or other, because you did those same things as a kid or were at least tempted to. Listen to what they have to say. You may agree to disagree, but at least that's a start.  
  
"Kids, if anyone tries to take advantage of you the way my friends and Ruthie and I were, don't wait. If you even suspect something is wrong with one of your friends along these lines, call them on it. If it's someone at school or at work, tell your parents. If it's your parents, tell someone at school or at work that you trust. I am absolutely convinced that a great number of divorces happen in this country because of a lack of communication, and that resulted because either the husband or wife or both didn't learn how to communicate - not just talk - as a child. The same with pedophiles - they were abused and didn't get treatment when the help could have saved them from destroying others' lives.  
  
"I'm not saying we should blindly trust authority again like our grandparents did. Authority lost our trust ages ago, in my case maybe from the time I was born. What I am saying is we need to build that trust up again at the local scale, starting in our communities and in our homes. Maybe then we won't be so vulnerable, as I was a decade ago."  
  
"Thank you. Let us rise and sing Hymn 138, 'He Who Would Valiant Be.'"  
  
The service ended about forty-five minutes later, but Lucy stayed on for an hour more as nearly everyone shook her hands and wanted to talk to her. At the end of the line were Frank Henderson's younger sisters, Bernadette Carlton and Piper Anderson. They were the same ones who had walked out on Lucy a few months before with their families. This time however, it looked like they wanted to confront the minister directly. Kevin walked up to his wife, knife stick ready just in case.  
  
"No, officer, that's okay," said Bernadette. "We don't want to hurt Rev. Kinkirk. We have to talk to her. It's about Frank - and us."  
  
Kevin shrugged. "Just know that Lucy carries pepper spray on her at all times," he warned. "After what happened to Rev. Camden here, she's not taking any chances."  
  
"We won't hurt her, we swear," said Piper. "This is important."  
  
"Um, Mom, could you take Charles and Jennifer home in the van along with Sam and David?" asked Lucy. "This might take a while."  
  
"Sure, babe," said Annie. She kissed her daughter. "Kevin, I'm out of extra car seats. Could you take Sam and David home in your car?"  
  
"No problem, Annie," replied Kevin. "I'll fish out the boosters from the trunk."  
  
As the alternate arrangements were handled, Lucy led the way into the ministers' office, and invited Henderson's sisters to sit down.  
  
"Can I get you some coffee?" offered Lucy. "I've got a whole variety of one-shots here. Any flavor, I have it."  
  
"I'll have a Swiss Mocha, double single, please," requested Piper.  
  
"Decaffeinated, black for me," said Bernadette.  
  
A minute later, the cups had been brewed. Lucy served the cups, opened up a can of club soda for herself from the mini-fridge, and sat down behind the desk.  
  
"How can I help you ladies?" she asked.  
  
"Rev. Kinkirk, we really need your help," replied Piper. "You'll remember a few months back when we walked out on you. We're sorry we did that, but we didn't think it was appropriate for little kids, including our own, to be hearing what you had to say. In retrospect, we should have stayed. This whole thing with Frank should have been dealt with a long time ago, before he even had a chance to prey on any children."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Lucy.  
  
"We - my sister and I - well, we never really got to know our father," said Bernadette. "He died in a car accident a few months after I was born. Frank was ten at the time, Piper was only three. He loved him so much and he was inconsolable when he heard he died. A couple of years later, Mom found an absolutely charming guy and fell for him. We started calling him 'Daddy' after a few months, and even Frank befriended him. Well, this guy and Mom got married. Then life became hell."  
  
"How did that happen?"  
  
"Our stepfather started beating up Mom fairly regularly," said Piper. "She kept excusing herself saying she 'fell down,' but we knew better. But this was at a time when women weren't encouraged to report spousal assaults, in fact the concept didn't even exist. It was presumed that a woman irrevocably consented to sex or any other kind of touching when she married a man."  
  
"I thank God we repealed those laws eventually," said Lucy angrily. "It's a shame a lot of guys still think their wife is their property. Sometimes I'd just like to walk up to each and every one of them and strangle them - but I'm not like that. But please, go on. What was your stepfather's name, by the way?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," replied Piper. "As far as we're concerned, he lost his right to exist after he attacked our mother the first time. But we thought it would settle down. Of course, it only got worse."  
  
"Well, one day, it must have gotten to be too much for Frank," said Bernadette. "He stood up to our stepfather and told him if he didn't stop, he'd kill him. Our stepfather grabbed a knife and lunged at Frank. Our brother ducked, tripped him, and before the man could catch his second wind, Frank grabbed a crowbar that he had lifted from the jalopy and bludgeoned him to death. We're now convinced Frank had planned it for months to make it look like an accident. The police bought his story, ruled he acted in self-defense, and let him go. As it turned out, the man had taken out a substantial insurance policy a few months before, and Mom and the three of us wound up with a million bucks, split four ways."  
  
"What does that have to do with the current litigation?" wondered Lucy.  
  
"We're getting to that," said Piper. "Well, Frank was now the man of the house, at the age of fourteen. He figured that if he could get away with murder, he could do anything. So one night about a year later, while Mom was waiting tables and my sister and I were playing board games after homework, Frank asked if we wanted to play what he called 'extreme doctor.'"  
  
"Uh-oh," said Lucy.  
  
"Yeah," said Bernadette. "Ten minutes after we had stripped, he forced his way on us, first into me, then into my sister. Then he made me have sex with my sister and within a few more minutes it became a threesome. Remember at the time, he was fifteen. I was only five and Piper was eight. This happened, I don't know how many times but it was quite often. It stopped suddenly when he turned eighteen and went to university across the country, but he read the Riot Act to us and told us never to tell Mom, or else. At least he didn't do permanent damage to our insides- we'll give him that."  
  
"Now you can understand why my kids, and Bernie's, get upset when we tell them they can't see Uncle Frank, and that he can't come to our place," said Piper. "His kids and ours get along just fine, but we've only allowed Sharon into our places because of how Frank ruined our lives. But now that she tried to buy off Ruthie's friend, that relationship is over too."  
  
"I'm just glad you finally found it in yourselves to trust other people again," said Lucy. "At least you have families and you know enough to tell your kids not to take advantage of other people or each other like that - or to be taken advantage of; just what I was talking about today."  
  
"My point exactly," said Bernadette. "Well, Mom died five months ago, as you know."  
  
"Yeah, Ruthie mentioned that," said Lucy, biting her lips. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Well, my sister and I were named co-executrixes of the estate," continued Bernadette. "We reviewed the will, and found that we got the lion's share of my mother's share of our stepfather's inheritance which she had invested after he died. It was well over a million bucks each, plus trust funds for each of our children and Frank's when they turn eighteen - about a hundred thousand per. Frank's daughter, as you know, is twenty-one so she cashed in already. Frank was left with just one dollar. We couldn't understand why, until this past Friday morning. We finished cleaning out the house and were about to leave when Piper got the idea to check the closets and attic one last time. As we were climbing the stairs to the attic, we noticed one step kept creaking in a funny way. We checked and found the step was hollow. I got this penknife and pried it open. And there it was."  
  
"What?" Lucy was intrigued.  
  
"We found a key to a safe deposit box that we never heard of before, and instructions on where to find it," said Piper. "We drove down to the bank, identified ourselves and got access to the box. Inside were several old videotapes in Beta format. Along with it was a note from Mom, saying she had accidentally discovered the tapes while cleaning out Frank's bedroom after he had gotten married and was so disgusted that she disowned her son. She instructed us that if we ever found the tapes, to turn them into the cops when and only when, she had passed on. Since Beta is nowadays only used by the TV newsgathering business, we trekked down to the local station and they played the tapes."  
  
"He made dirty tapes of the three of you?" Lucy was horrified.  
  
"Yeah," said Piper. "Our first time; a few after that interspersed over three years; and the last session before he left for college. He also videotaped the murder of our step-father. Can you see what our problem is?"  
  
"What problem? There's no statute of limitations on incest or on murder." said Lucy. "He could get twenty years for each of you. Definitely he could get life without parole for your stepfather." The local district attorney stopped seeking death penalty convictions a year or so before, after a couple of evidence reviews revealed police ineptitude in several non-death penalty cases. Detective Michaels had fired the rogue cops on the spot. The DA, however, decided the risk was too high to pursue the supreme punishment anymore - and the largely liberal electorate in the county agreed with him, reelecting him by a slim margin.  
  
"Not exactly," said Bernadette. "We only found out about these tapes two days ago. We went to the cops months ago about my sister and me, but they told us without corroborating evidence there was nothing they could do. That's why charges relating to a number of other kids were dropped as well, no smoking gun. The state wrapped up its case on Friday. How are we going to make sure that our brother gets what he deserves?"  
  
Lucy got up, and pulled out two books. One was the DSM-IV-TR, the other the California Code of Criminal Procedure. She quickly reviewed the definitions of "sexual addiction" and "pedophilia" and discovered that, notwithstanding the official diagnoses, Henderson was neither - he was a psychopath. She then took a look at the criminal procedure book, and got an idea.  
  
"Have you been called as witnesses for the defense?" Lucy finally asked.  
  
"Yes, as character witnesses," said Piper. "But the judge ruled in pre- trial motions that we could only testify to his non-sexual character, period. What he did to us was irrelevant."  
  
"Hear me out," said Lucy. "When you each take the stand, give hostile answers and get classified as a hostile witness. On cross-examination, the State can enter the evidence. It'll be 'similar fact testimony' that the judge can't ignore."  
  
"But if the evidence is entered now," said Bernadette, "doesn't that preclude it being used in another state trial?"  
  
"It might," admitted Lucy. "But you can charge your brother under federal law. Say that he violated your civil rights. At the very least, this is criminal sexual harassment. At worst, it's abuse of authority. In your stepfather's case, the videotape will speak volumes. He'll get 10 years concurrently at the most, but at least you'll give him a federal rap sheet as well as a state one. Tell you what, let me call my friend Roxanne Richardson - she's Kevin's beat partner and Dr. Hampton's girlfriend. You can go downtown and give a statement today if you want."  
  
"We appreciate that," said Piper, as Lucy made the call.  
  
"Oh, one last thing," said Lucy, "when I talk to Frank's daughter and son, they denied their father did anything to them. Were they lying to me?"  
  
"Yes," said Bernadette and Piper together. The older sister pulled out two more tapes, saying one showed the father sodomizing his daughter at fourteen, while the other showed the siblings having sex with each other - the latter having been taken when the daughter was seventeen-and-a-half and the son only six.  
  
Lucy remembered Frank's daughter saying that she had gotten pregnant at sixteen but had had an abortion, having been raped but was so humiliated by the whole thing that she didn't press charges, only filing a report that a rape had been committed against her. Now the minister knew why - the woman had been too ashamed to point the finger at her own father. Maybe seeing her own aunts' courage in facing up to their brother finally persuaded her and her brother to do the same against their father, Lucy figured.  
  
That night, the town was again in an uproar. Henderson's sisters' allegations, and that of his children, made the news and had turned the case against him into a cause for outright derision by the public. A mob gathered around the local jail, determined to storm it and lynch Frank Henderson, but they were repressed by a well-equipped SWAT team, led by Roxie, who dispersed the crowd with at least a dozen cans of tear gas. The jail was overflowing that night with at least a hundred would-be vigilantes; who were eventually all ticketed $400 each for breach of the peace and released on recognizance.  
  
Meanwhile, the school board had an emergency meeting that evening. Henderson had tested their patience for far too long. He was dismissed effective the date of his suspension and ordered to pay back nearly $30,000 in salary and benefits. His pension benefits were also forfeited.  
  
The next day when the trial resumed, Janice suggested a change in venue to finish the trial. She hated the defendant even more now; but still believed he needed a fair trial and thought the judge could better adjudicate the case far away from the rabble. The judge agreed and found an available courtroom in San Francisco, ordering the case adjourned for a week while travel arrangements could be finalized.  
  
Later that night, Ruthie trekked over to Peter's house. After Paris said goodbye to them before taking a late evening flight to Vancouver for a business meeting, the two teenagers locked the door behind them. Ruthie and Peter looked at each other, started kissing passionately, and headed for the shower one floor up, running up the staircase hand-in-hand two steps at a time. 


	15. Peter's Surprise

Chapter Fifteen  
  
It was a couple of hours later, and Ruthie was lying on the couch trying to get some sleep after she and Peter had showered together. She had called home telling Annie that she was just too tired and that Peter was a little scared to be alone, especially with everything going on. Her mother agreed, and offered to bring over her pajamas and a fresh change of clothes. Ruthie declined, saying she had already taken her stuff with her in her gym bag.  
  
Annie hung up the phone, and shrugged it off. Ruthie was old enough to take responsibility for her own actions, she thought. The two women had an agreement, and she knew Ruthie understood it was a solemn vow on her part.  
  
Peter had offered his girlfriend one side of his bed for the night, but she politely refused, saying that while she wanted the relationship to continue and had enjoyed their evening, she wasn't quite ready for that final step just yet.  
  
"Maybe some other time, Peter," she had said. "I appreciate your asking me, though."  
  
"No problem, honey," he had replied. "I'll get you some blankets, and my travel alarm."  
  
Ruthie headed downstairs, set the alarm for 7, and around midnight she finally dozed off (after Peter had gently tucked the covers around her. She made a mental note to herself to send e-mails the next day to her married siblings; Matt, Mary and Simon, as well as their respective spouses. She felt she had to confide in them just how much she and Peter were involved once more, but was worried the relationship was becoming primarily a physical one. She wanted to go back three years, when the two had linked up and had quickly passed the "puppy love" stage to an exclusive and loving platonic relationship as well as a strong friendship; and wanted to get some ideas on how she and her boyfriend could keep the romance alive. After all, she was going to tell her siblings and in-laws, a relationship was supposed to be based on more than just sex.  
  
The next morning, just before seven am, Ruthie was awoken by the unmistakable smell of breakfast being cooked. She pulled off the covers and her nightgown, tied her tan-colored housecoat around herself, and walked into the kitchen. The meal had already been prepared and was now being served. Pancakes, buttered whole wheat toast, jam, honey, bacon, sausage links, a fruit bowl, juice, milk, and coffee - in portions just enough for the two of them.  
  
"Good morning, sweetie," said Peter, grinning. He had already washed up, already dressed for school and just finishing setting up the table.  
  
"Good morning, Pete," said Ruthie, a little stunned. "You really didn't have to bother with all that."  
  
"Of course I had to, silly," replied Peter. "I love you, and I think it's time I started showing that to you. Besides, Mrs. Camden and Rev. Kinkirk are always making extra meals for me whenever I'm over at your place, and you always welcome me into the parsonage no questions asked. I want to return the favor a little bit at a time. Consider this breakfast your down payment."  
  
"Thanks. It's not really necessary, but I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem. And when you go upstairs, you'll find a bathing set I got for you. It's all natural stuff. Take all the time you need. Our linear algebra class this morning was cancelled because the teacher's wife went into labor last night; and so we don't have to show up at school till ten. I'd join you again and pick up from last night, but I have to do some research this morning on the Net for the People in Society project we're doing together."  
  
"Right, I forgot about that. Hope everything works out for them. I'll join you as soon as I finish freshening up - make it 8:30. Thanks. Any more surprises?"  
  
Ruthie was getting a little suspicious of Peter's motives.  
  
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," laughed Peter. "We're still, about four or five weeks from Valentine's Day. Tell you what; each day we take turns, with Sundays off. We do something nice for each other, no matter how insignificant it seems. It doesn't have to be expensive, just thoughtful. On V-Day, I have something really special saved for you. I know you'll want to spend most of the day with your twin brothers for their 6th. As long as you leave a few hours for me, I don't mind. Hopefully, by that time, we'll get the spark back again."  
  
"What do you mean, by that time?" asked Ruthie. She ran across the kitchen and gave Peter a French kiss. She released it then added, "Honey, you've already lit my fire. I don't know what took you so long!"  
  
"After your miscarriage, I realized I might lose you," said Peter. "I was worried that after you got over the shock, you might blame me for what happened and never want to see me again. Honestly, Ruthie, I can't imagine life without you - ever."  
  
"It takes two to tango, Peter," pointed out Ruthie, sitting herself down and selecting some pancakes. "We just know enough now, not to make the same mistake again. Now, if it's okay with you, enough with the mushy stuff. Let's enjoy this."  
  
They finished a half-hour later, talking about assignments and what each family was up to. The final course was strawberries and cream, with which they took turns feeding each other then kissing.  
  
As Ruthie headed upstairs for her bath, Peter called her back. He wanted to kiss her one more time. This they did while he ran his fingers through her hair.  
  
"I just love being with you like this, first thing in the morning, no makeup or anything," he whispered to her. "I want this to last forever. I know it will."  
  
'Yeah," she said, kissing him once more. "It definitely will. Now, if you don't mind, I really have to get ready." She grabbed her gym bag and headed back upstairs.  
  
Ruthie spent the next half-hour or so taking a bubble bath and lathering her hair and the rest of her body with the scented oil soaps that Peter had gotten her, almost wishing he was with her at that moment. At least he and she were now on the same wavelength - he was worried about where their relationship had been headed, too. She realized that, him being an only child, it was even more important for him to have a special someone in his life and she was honored to be that person, despite her many self-admitted faults.  
  
Were the last few months worth it she thought, as she dried herself off and started up the hair dryer? In her mind, it definitely was. Maybe she and Peter should have waited a little longer, but in the long run they probably would have started to have sex anyway sometime during that school year. With three of her siblings gone and a fourth living in the apartment, it was just her and the twins. Her parents were even busier these days, so no one in her family would have ever found out. For her part, Paris' lackadaisical attitude towards her son having sex was the equivalent of having a deck of cards that dealt nothing but blackjack every time - making the opportunity wide open. And for what it was worth, they were getting better.  
  
Besides, had she and Peter picked another occasion or place for their "first time," they probably never would have found Rhiannon and Malcolm confiding in them, and the whole scandal surrounding Frank Henderson might never have seen the light of day. The trade-off for having had their privacy violated was a man being held to account for his many other transgressions. Had they managed to keep their secret on the other hand, a large number of children, many now grown up, would still be suffering in silence.  
  
Ruthie finally finished with the dryer and looked at herself in the mirror once more. She ran her fingers over herself on the places where Peter had the previous evening, and wondered how a kid just a few months younger than she could treat her with so much respect and consideration. Was he overcompensating for lack of a father figure in his life? Or did it just come naturally to him? Ruthie shrugged and finally reached into her bag for a fresh change of clothes.  
  
She joined Peter in his study.  
  
"What have you got there, Peter?" she asked.  
  
"Just some stuff - thank heavens for high speed. I've printed up a ton of stuff in that pile there, Ruthie. You can go look through it; while I take a look at the morning news."  
  
Peter clicked on the website of the local paper. He gasped.  
  
Ruthie heard his groan, and looked up at the flat screen. She saw it, too. Frank Henderson had been beaten by fellow inmates at the mess hall of the county jail, including two of his victims who had testified at the grand jury but were not deemed to have strong enough evidence to go to trial. Henderson was supposed to have been fed meals in isolation but a staffing shortage due to a strike made that impossible. He suffered a severe concussion and blacked out almost instantly. He struggled during the night, passing in and out of consciousness, but finally it was too much for him. He succumbed to his injuries and died at six am, hours after the print version of the paper had gone off the presses.  
  
A whole minute of silence passed. Finally, Ruthie spoke.  
  
"I can't condone what happened to him," she said, "but I'm not going to miss him. I might be able to forgive what he did to us, and to all our friends, and even Lucy. I can also understand his defending his mother's honor by killing his stepfather. But raping his sisters - that's something I can't forgive."  
  
"I don't like what happened to him, either," agreed Peter. "But be honest, Ruthie: weren't you ever tempted, in the slightest to - you know?"  
  
"Maybe I was," Ruthie said, slightly exasperated. "But that's one difference between you and me, Peter. We Protestants believe that temptation is not a sin; you Catholics do."  
  
"Ruthie," said Peter, "before I moved to Glen Oak and I met you, Mom and I were only going to the local Catholic church because it was the closest church in the town where we were living; and even then only occasionally. Mom was baptized as a baby and confirmed as a Catholic when she was thirteen, but she stopped going on a regular basis after she concluded the current Pope didn't reflect her values - and I suspect many if not most Catholics here in America were disaffected even before the sex scandals broke open. As for me, I've only found this out recently, but I've never been baptized. After my Dad walked out on Mom and me right after I was born, she was going to but so hoped he'd come back she kept putting it off. After all, what parent wouldn't want to see their kid christened?"  
  
"So, you're not Catholic?" said Ruthie.  
  
"Right," said Peter. "I've always considered myself a Christian, but as far as the community is concerned, I'm not affiliated with any faith or persuasion. It was going to be my surprise for V-day, but since you brought up the subject, here it is. Since we know we're going to get married someday and your father and Lucy and Chandler have welcomed me as one of your own, I just wanted to belong to your church community on a permanent basis. I was hoping Lucy would do the honors, and baptize me. And if it's okay with you, I'd like you to be my godmother. I know it's weird asking my girlfriend to be my sponsor, but I trust you."  
  
"I'm sure she'd be delighted; and I'd be honored," said Ruthie, grinning. She gave Peter a huge hug and kissed him. She let go the lip-lock after a few seconds, but kept her arms around him, adding, "But why didn't you tell me this before?"  
  
Peter paused for a minute. He wasn't sure if he should give the diplomatic answer or the truthful one. He decided the direct approach was the best.  
  
"I was going to tell you right after we surrendered our virginity to each other last summer," he said. "However, after we found out about Henderson, may he rest in peace, it just slipped my mind. With everything else going on at the camp and later at school, I never followed up. And I was going to ask Lucy last fall, but when she became a material witness, I decided to hold off some more. Then you and I took a break from each other, and I still procrastinated. It came back to me last night when we made love in the shower. I knew I couldn't wait any more.  
  
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and when the time comes which I hope is not too far into the future, I will ask you to marry me. But I can't do that with a clear conscience unless I belong to a faith group. I know that Rev. Kinkirk married a Catholic, and Matt married a Jew - but at least their spouses have a sense of belonging to something. I don't, and I want to change that."  
  
"Now I really do wish we had that bubble bath together this morning," laughed Ruthie. "All right, I'll ask Lucy just to be sure. Since you're past the age when most of our members take their Confirmation profession of faith, you'll probably have to be scrutinized by the deacons, but that's just a formality. All you have to do is choose whether you want baptism by immersion or sprinkling."  
  
"Just a sprinkle on my forehead is probably enough," shrugged Peter. "Besides, I don't need water to be born again. I found God before I found you. I just want to make it official. But we can talk more on that later. Let's read up some more on this material before school starts."  
  
Word of Henderson's murder spread quickly. It was the talk of the school cafeteria and teacher's lounges. Some were in a celebratory mood, while others were stunned at the violent turn of events. Peter and Ruthie were confronted by some students, but they were in no mood to talk about it. They waited until they got to the parsonage, where it was the topic over the supper that Lucy was serving. They had dinner alone with Jennifer and Charles, as Kevin was napping before his next shift and Sam and David were having dinner with their parents.  
  
"I got paged early this morning about it while Kevin was doing the graveyard shift," she told the lovebirds. "I was there more for his sisters than for him. He had no faith whatsoever in the last few years or so, and after he was processed by the morgue his corpse was sent straight to the crematorium. His ashes were buried in a tiny plot. From what I understand, a lot of his victims are over there celebrating right now, pouring beer and whiskey over it. I don't condone it, but I don't blame them. By the way, Peter, I'd be happy to baptize you. We're booked solid right now because of a spurt in babies being born; but I can book you in for the second week of April. Ruthie, I don't see any problem with your being his godmother."  
  
"Thanks, Reverend Kinkirk," said Peter.  
  
"Thanks, Lucy," said Ruthie.  
  
"By the way, Mom and Dad and the boys won't be back until late - like ten thirty or eleven," said Lucy, "if you get my drift."  
  
The young man and woman smiled. After wishing Lucy and her children good night, they headed up to Ruthie's attic apartment. She fished out from her parents' collection a CD box set of the studio recordings of one of Peter's favorite songwriters: Gordon Lightfoot. She popped one of the disks in and gently pushed her boyfriend onto her bed, unbuttoning his shirt.  
  
"My turn," she said softly, kissing him. They made out for the next hour, while recounting the funny moments they shared over the last three years and the moment each fell in love with the other.  
  
After Peter left, Ruthie finally checked her e-mail. Only Deena had responded so far. Her message consisted of two sentences: "Tell Peter how much he turns you on. It works for Simon and me." 


	16. Ya Don't Come Back Now Ya Hear?

Chapter Sixteen  
  
The Chief Judge for Glen Oak County was furious.  
  
"How in the name of Heaven did this happen?" she screamed at Janice at lunchtime the next day. Her long, gray hair was flying from side to side. "Defendant Henderson was supposed to be under constant, protective custody. Now I have no choice but to declare the entire case moot! How can there be any justice now, for anyone even remotely connected to this case? The last six months have been for nothing! I don't even know if any apology is possible to the victims."  
  
"Your Honor," said Janice meekly, "this was as big a shock to the State as to you. The District Attorney and the Glen Oak Police Department are investigating as we speak."  
  
"And another thing," said the judge, having calmed down a bit. "Why wasn't custody of Mr. Henderson's son given to his mother in the first place, rather than his sister?"  
  
"We have not been able to track Mrs. Henderson's movements for quite some time," admitted Janice. "Yes, she did answer the subpoena last week, but from the time of the defendant's arrest to then, she and her current paramour skipped town with no forwarding address. They left town again, right after her court appearance. I can only guess she was so traumatized by the knowledge her children did what they did - even if it was under duress - that she couldn't see either of them anymore."  
  
"I can't say I blame her," conceded the judge, "but I want you to find this woman, wherever she is. I want to depose her, personally, and find out if she had anything to do with this murder. Besides, the sister in question is a college junior and has her hands full with both schoolwork and having to raise her brother. The kid needs her mother back, and unless she unconditionally wants to transfer custody to her daughter, I'm going to make sure he gets his mother back."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," agreed Janice. "We'll notify all relevant federal authorities immediately, and have them put out an APB."  
  
"As for you, Counselors," said the judge to the defense lawyers, sighing, "relax, because I know what you're worried about. You will get paid by the State for all billing hours up to the time of Henderson's being attacked. You'll get a check by week's end. This court stands adjourned, sine die."  
  
She slammed the gavel and went back into her chambers, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Ruthie and Peter looked around at their fellow victims. Some were in a celebratory mood, even more than the night before. Others were crying tears of rage in the knowledge their quest for justice had been crushed by a vengeful sufferer.  
  
"What do we do now, sweetheart?" asked Peter.  
  
"We lay low, honey," replied Ruthie. "There's nothing we can do now other than that. Let's go back to school. If they ask us for help, we'll give it the best we can, but I don't think any of them are ready for that at this point in time. Right now, we're due in class in about fifteen minutes. Let's go before we're late."  
  
It was several hours later when Ruthie went home, with Peter alongside her for yet another study date. In light of everything that had happened, they were certainly in no mood to make out now. But things were about to get even more interesting.  
  
"Guys," said Lucy, meeting them at the door, "in the office; now."  
  
The couple followed the younger minister into the study. They wondered what this was about.  
  
"Dad's walked out on Mom. Actually, he was asked to leave. He's taken an indefinite leave of absence from the church," said Lucy, her voice shaking as she closed the door behind her. "He's flown to Buffalo and is staying with the Colonel, Grandma Ruth and George until further notice."  
  
"What did you just say?" said Ruthie, in total shock.  
  
Lucy repeated what she had just said.  
  
"Rev. Kinkirk, what happened?" Peter was as stunned as his girlfriend was.  
  
"Mom and Dad and I had an argument this morning about the church finances, Peter," said Lucy. "We were trying to figure out whether we should recommend to the deaconate that the profit we made the last year should go into the building fund for maintenance, or to Meals on Wheels. Mom and I thought it should go to the building because, after the roof cave in three years ago, our insurance premiums went through the roof - pardon the expression - and, well, we couldn't afford another claim like that. Dad said the underwriting companies are too greedy to begin with but that's what insurance is for; and besides there was a huge waiting list for the Meals program, and why we didn't care about the children of those who were relying on it already.  
  
"I said, 'Of course we care about kids, Dad, we just have to make choices, and it's time some of the other churches paid their fair share for Meals on Wheels, too.'  
  
"Dad said, 'If your two - no, three - kids knew how you felt, Luce, they'd rip you apart; after all that's happened in this town for the last few months.  
  
"Then Mom chimed in. 'Oh, yeah,' she said rather sarcastically. 'It's like you still care about kids, Eric: you knocked me up last fall when you knew damn well my body was in no shape to have kids anymore.' She realized her mistake and covered her mouth, but it was too late."  
  
Ruthie's and Peter's jaws both dropped.  
  
"Mom's - pregnant?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"Not anymore," said Lucy. "She had an ectopic pregnancy; that's when ."  
  
"We know what that is, Reverend," interrupted Peter, waving his hand. "What does that have to do with Rev. Camden walking out on your mother?"  
  
"Well, the only way to save Mom's life was for her to get an abortion," said Lucy. "Mom was so embarrassed and upset by that, she couldn't bring herself to tell Dad. When she finally admitted up to it today, Dad was furious. He so badly wanted one more child, and I guess the fact they got pregnant then lost the baby would have been fine for him would've been okay had she been straight with him from the beginning.  
  
"So, he starting shouting at Mom and called her every bad thing you could think of. Mom took it well, saying she was sorry over and over. But when Dad used the epithet 'battle ax,' that was the last straw, even for me. We told Dad he had fifteen minutes to pack his bags and hit the road, and he was not welcome back into the parsonage until he apologized to both of us."  
  
"Excuse me, Lucy; pardon me for interrupting," said Peter, "but what gives you the right to force your Dad out of his own house? And why would you want an apology? His argument is with Mrs. Camden, not you."  
  
"This is not Dad's house, it's a parsonage and the property of the church; and as an officer of the Church, I'm well within my rights to have a say in how this house is run," replied Lucy quietly. "Besides, Peter, I expect more from my father than that. He and Mom conceived me, on Valentine's Day of all days, and as such I insist he treat my mother with dignity and respect. So if Mom's insulted by Dad, then so am I. If I was still a minor, I'd let Mom make the decision alone. But since I'm an adult now, and I'm paying rent on the garage apartment, I have an equal say in the household and the tone of its environment. I think Ruthie explained that to you a few months back, when we first found about how involved the two of you were."  
  
"You're right, she did," said Peter. "I forgot that."  
  
"You stood up to that idiot, Dick, a few years back; even though you were just thirteen. If you were an adult, you would have wanted to take him out, or asked him to leave. But because you were young, he decided he could ignore you and threaten to take you out and your dog because you were a kid. If you hadn't asked Ruthie to ask Kevin for a background check, heaven knows what would've happened to you. Now, do you understand where Mom and I are coming from?"  
  
"Yeah, Luce, I do," said Peter.  
  
"So what's happening now?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"Nothing much," said Lucy. "Right now, Chandler and I are running the Church, and after the last time Dad sat out so long after his heart surgery, the Deacons are fed up by him. Lou Dalton told me this afternoon that, if Dad doesn't smarten up and come back to work by Friday, the Board will fire him and offer the job of Minister to me. I called the Colonel and told him to take that message to Dad the moment he touches down in Buffalo - which should be right about now." She checked her watch, and nodded.  
  
"You're kidding!" Peter, who was already in shock over the split-up of the Camdens, was now ever more staggered. "Why wouldn't they offer the job of Minister to Dr. Hampton? He's been here almost four years now; you've been on board less than two."  
  
"Well, Peter, Chandler's contract is coming up and he tells me that he might be taking a pass on renewing it because Crawford University wants to hire him as Ecumenical Chaplain and Dean of the Divinity School. Which means .?"  
  
"You'd be the new Minister, and this house will be all yours!" Ruthie ran up to her sister and hugged her. "Congratulations! I know you, Kevin, Jennifer and Charles must be getting tired of the garage apartment."  
  
"Not so fast, Ruthie," laughed Lucy, but accepting the hug anyway. "We're waiting on Dad first. But I have to warn you: Mom is pretty irked by Dad. For the first time in her life, she's actually considering petitioning for divorce. She threatened him before, but this time she really means it. She had separation papers made up during the lunch hour by our family lawyer. If Dad's not on a plane out of Buffalo by Friday morning, she's - uh - going to file them. Then she will wait a few more months; until Mary and Deena give birth to our nieces or nephews. And if he still refuses to apologize after that, then she'll file for divorce and custody of you and the twins.  
  
"Frankly, I'm not surprised. After Thanksgiving, I noticed that there seemed to be a bit of tension between the two, somewhat withdrawn from each other. I guess it just boiled over today. I don't like the idea of them splitting up after all these years, but I guess that's just the way the sawdust has settled this time."  
  
"I knew something wasn't right between those two. Hey, I don't want Mom and Dad to divorce, either," said Ruthie sadly, "but if that's the way it has to be, so be it. I'm okay with it; I'm just worried about how Mom will deal with Sam and David all alone."  
  
"She's willing to offer Dad access to them and to you, as long as he pays alimony and child support," said Lucy. "After I spoke with the Deacons, they're prepared to offer Dad a reference to any church that wants to hire him, given that he's been Minister here so long and done so well for the church and the community. They're willing to say that they 'parted on agreeable terms' rather than use the f-word: 'fired.' But as far as she's concerned, the marriage is pretty much over. She doesn't want a divorce either, but this is a case where 'irreconcilable differences' exist, if ever there was any, and while I don't normally take sides with my parents, I'm with Mom 100% this time."  
  
"You have my support too, Lucy," said Peter. "Or should I say 'Reverend'?"  
  
"Lucy's fine, Peter," grinned Lucy. "I'm not counting my chickens, yet, but Minister of Glen Oak Community Church: Wow. I was dreaming of this job since I was a kid, and definitely wanted it in my senior year of high school. I never imagined it would be so soon.  
  
"Well, Mom and I just made supper. Chili, Caesar salad with light dressing, cornbread, and both your favorite: lasagna. I just took the main course out of the oven when I heard you guys coming up the front walk."  
  
Lucy led the way out of the office and to the dining room. She joined her husband and their children, along with Annie and her twins. Lucy sat at one end of the table, with Ruthie and Peter on either side of her. They started supper with grace, which was said by Peter. He asked for only two things: that Eric was safe, wherever he was now; and that Mary and Deena would have no complications with their pregnancies. 


	17. Forsaking Not All Others

Chapter Seventeen  
  
Eric returned early Friday morning. He apologized to Annie and Lucy for losing his temper, acknowledging that his use of the epithet "battle ax" was totally uncalled for. Then he asked Lucy if he could speak to her mother, alone.  
  
"Sure, Dad," said Lucy.  
  
"Don't go too far, there's something I want to talk to you about."  
  
"I'm due over at the church, Dad," said Lucy. "Whatever it is, I hope it can wait."  
  
"Sure, Luce, no problem," said Eric.  
  
When Lucy had stepped outside and driven away, Eric asked his wife to follow him to the office. Rather than sit behind the desk, however, he took one of the "visitors" chairs and turned it sideways, so he could talk to Annie face to face without any obstructions.  
  
There was a long pause after the two sat down. They did nothing but stare at each other for a whole minute. Finally, Annie couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"Eric, what is it?" she asked.  
  
"It's over, Annie," said Eric flatly. "You and me, maybe it's time to go our separate ways; at least for a while. It's taken a long time for me to admit it, but I haven't been totally honest with you either; and when a husband and wife can't communicate with sincerity, it's time to throw in the towel."  
  
Annie nodded slightly. Maybe it was for the best. But there was something she couldn't understand.  
  
"Why are you telling me this now?" Annie asked her husband. "Is there anyone I don't know about? Or is it someone I know about?"  
  
Eric hemmed and hawed; but one look from Annie and he knew that she knew.  
  
"You want to know if I have been unfaithful to you and to the vows I made before God and the law. The answer is yes. Yes, Annie, I have been having an affair," admitted Eric, feeling totally ashamed of himself.  
  
"Is it someone I know, Eric?" repeated Annie.  
  
"It is, Annie. To make matters worse, it's someone we've helped once before. In so doing, I broke part of the commitment I made as a minister never to get emotionally involved with parishioners or anyone else we were helping."  
  
"So? Who is it?"  
  
"It's Shelby's mother - you remember Lucy's old friend; the one who only wanted dinner with us because she was starving after her mother's welfare got cut off."  
  
"Her?" Annie was stunned. "Does Shelby know that you rocked the Kasbah with her mother?"  
  
"Of course she knows. She found out weeks ago. To be fair, she was actually empathetic about it all. She didn't approve, but she told me she knows what it's like; since she decided she wants to be a minister, too."  
  
"Good for her - well, the part about becoming a minister. So when did it happen, Eric?" Annie crossed her arms in front of herself. "And why?"  
  
"Well, as to 'why,' I'm not going to say 'it just happened' because there's not a single excuse for it, but it did. I'm sorry. To answer 'when,' the answer is that it happened over the Christmas holidays. Shelby decided to spend Christmas over at her college, so with her mother alone I thought she could use some company. To make a long story short, I suspected you were cheating on me so I thought I'd get my revenge, and I seduced her. We ended up having four or five 'nooners,' the last one was on New Year's Eve, when Shelby apparently changed her mind and elected to spend the New Year with her mother. She walked right in on us. She promised not to say anything about it, knowing how much it would embarrass the church."  
  
Annie showed not a single jot of emotion.  
  
"You have every right to be mad at me, Annie," said Eric. "If you just jumped out of that chair and attacked me, I'd deserve it."  
  
"I'm not going to, Eric," said Annie calmly, "because you're right. Last summer, while you were out of town for a couple of days, I did have a one- night stand. It was - you're never going to believe this - it was Joe James. Remember, the father of Sarah James, the girl that Simon wanted to bring home as a 'pet'?"  
  
"May I ask why?" inquired Eric.  
  
"Well, he was getting lonely. He had had a girlfriend for a number of years, but that didn't quite pan out, and he was on the rebound and I guess I had sex with him out of sympathy. For what it's worth, Sarah found out too, but she also promised not to say anything. Still, that's not an excuse, Eric, and I'm sorry too."  
  
"I didn't mean, why him. I meant why, period?"  
  
"There's no reason why people cheat on each other, Eric," replied Annie in exasperation. "Nearly every married couple faces that kind of inducement at some point in their union. I'm just surprised that with seven kids, five of whom are sexually active, and two grandchildren with three more on the way - it took so long for us to finally give in to what we've both always wanted - to expand our horizons. Not that I haven't been tempted before. But Joe's only the second man I've ever slept with. You, by your count, had at least twenty women before you met me; and you had sex only with me for twenty-eight years. The clock was just ticking, you know it was."  
  
"So, it's over then? You're going to move in with him?"  
  
"No, Eric," said Annie. "Again, he and I only did it a few times before Sarah James found out about it. What? You're not going to move in with Shelby's mother?"  
  
"Of course not," replied Eric. "But even if I hadn't cheated on you, I guess I would have wanted to tell you it's over anyway; and maybe it was for the best that it was now rather than later when I really blew my lid. Maybe when all is said and done, I guess I just fell out of love. I'll always love you for being a friend to me all these years, and for being the mother of my seven children. But I just can't live with you anymore. It's for that reason, primarily, that later today I will be resigning as Minister. I'm on my way to tell Lucy she's got the church."  
  
"Whoa, let's back up a minute," said Annie. "What do you mean by 'primarily'?"  
  
"Well, I can't just tell the Deacons I'm quitting because I cheated on you, Annie. They'd never buy that and they'd refuse to accept my resignation. There is another reason why I have to leave now, which is the reason I'll be giving the Deacons."  
  
"What is it, Eric?"  
  
"The Colonel's sick, Annie. He's got Hodgkin's disease, and at this stage of his life the doctors don't see much point in treatment. Neither does Dad. Well, neither does Mom. Somehow she got it too. The doctors insist that's a complete coincidence - and Matt's confirmed that for me. But they both took out living wills, saying that they don't want emergency life saving treatment. They just want the plug to be pulled when the time comes. So, I'm going to Buffalo so I can spend whatever time they have left making their lives comfortable. Julie's also taking a leave of absence, so all three of us including George can be there when our Mom and Dad die."  
  
"Oh, Eric, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."  
  
"Saying that you care is enough," said Eric. "I reckon you told Ruthie and Peter about you and me having that snit already, so if you want to tell them about this, that's fine - but they have to keep this to themselves. I'll tell Lucy and the other kids, and their respective spouses the same line, before going back to Buffalo tomorrow. I'm crashing at Chandler's, so I won't be bothering you tonight."  
  
"I will tell them. If it's okay with you, Eric, I also have the separation papers right here, as we discussed on the phone - but don't you think you should say goodbye to the congregation?"  
  
"When my parents die, then I will explain it all to them. I can't say enough I want to keep all of this quiet for now."  
  
Annie handed him the separation papers. Eric quickly read through them and signed them, promising the first support payment would come within a week; as he had already gotten employment as an interim minister at a mega-church in one of Buffalo's suburbs - their minister, a well known figure in evangelical circles, had died suddenly and they need a "tide-over" until they could find a replacement, even if it was someone who generally scorned televangelists as Eric did. Eric had gotten the job only when he promised that while he would not back off from expressing his views from the pulpit; neither would he rock the boat.  
  
He handed the papers back to Annie, saying he would send for the rest of his belongings within a month. As he got ready to leave the parsonage for what he realized might be the final time, Annie said: "Eric?"  
  
"Yes?" Eric turned around.  
  
"Thanks for the memories."  
  
"No. Thank you."  
  
Eric and Annie kissed one last time. Then he picked up his bag and walked out the door.  
  
Annie stood in the doorway for a whole minute, not sure whether to celebrate or to cry. Finally, she just sank down and rested her head in her hands, much like The Thinker, totally lost in thought.  
  
Over at the church, Lucy was furious at her father for even considering cheating on Annie; and the minister was just as angry at her mother for contemplating betraying Eric. But having dealt with troubled couples herself, she understood as well.  
  
"Just promise me you two won't get a divorce unless you're both absolutely certain that your differences are irreconcilable," said Lucy, hugging her father.  
  
"Does this mean you forgive me?" asked Eric.  
  
"Yes, Dad, I forgive you," said Lucy. "I forgive Mom, too. Even if I couldn't, I know God would."  
  
"Are you ready to take over the church, Luce?"  
  
"No, I'm not, and I don't think the Deacons will hear of you quitting even if the Colonel and Grandma Ruth are ill. Take a leave of absence and think that over too. You've been here 27 years now. Maybe if you hung around a little while longer, you could get '30 and out.' I'm seven months pregnant, remember, Dad? Let Kevin and me have some time to get Charles and Jennifer into kindergarten and this little one into some good daycare, and then I'll consider it. Right now, I'm honored to be your protégé as well as your daughter.  
  
"But if you're asking if Chandler and I can take care of things while you're in Buffalo, of course, we'll 'keep the situation well in hand,' as Mighty Mouse would say," laughed Lucy, hugging her father. "Give John, Ruth and George my love!"  
  
"Good luck, squirt," said Eric. "I'll be back as soon as I can - hopefully, it won't be long, maybe a couple of months."  
  
"What'll happen to George?" wondered Lucy.  
  
"His natural father, Will, is still alive. But they both miss California; and Will put in at the CIA for a transfer out West. They'll probably move in with Julie and Hank and their kids."  
  
"If you and Mom make it up, would you consider letting them move into the parsonage? I'd have no objections to that."  
  
"If Annie and I did; of course I'd want my brother to live with us. But to be frank, it'll take more than just saying 'I'm sorry' to patch it up, Luce."  
  
"Well, maybe the time apart will be good for both of you," said Lucy. She pointed a finger at her father and added, "As long as you don't sleep with anyone while you're in Buffalo!"  
  
A horn honking came from the parking lot.  
  
"That's Chandler and Roxanne," said Eric. "I'll call you when I get there."  
  
"I love you Dad."  
  
"Love you, too."  
  
Over at Chandler's place, Eric called Matt, Mary and Simon. All were nonplussed by the turn of events, but they all shared Lucy's sentiment that Eric should use the time to evaluate his relationship with Annie.  
  
Ruthie and Peter, having been apprised of the situation by Annie, came to the same conclusion but told Annie she should do the same regarding Eric. As for themselves, the two teenagers decided they needed another pause in their intimate relationship. This time, they'd wait to have sex again, until they knew for sure how Ruthie's parents decided to resolve their impasse. But they both agreed they wouldn't stop making out - they had too much fun doing that. Sighing, they settled down taking their turn babysitting Sam, David, Jennifer and Charles while cramming for a couple of important tests. 


	18. To You from Failing Hands

Chapter Eighteen  
  
Lucy called the number for Simon to see how he was reacting to the news about their parents and grandparents. Deena answered the phone. The first part, about Eric and Annie's trial separation wasn't much of a surprise for her - she had already dealt with the trauma of her own parents divorcing. When she was told the news about her husband's grandparents, however, she was shocked. Simon hadn't talked to her all day, but she couldn't figure out why.  
  
"They both have Hodgkin's Disease? John and Ruth?" sputtered Deena. "Are you sure, Lucy? The odds they'd both get it must be astronomical. Last I heard, cancer was not a venereal disease."  
  
"I know, Deena," Lucy sighed, "Matt told me as much - he says the odds a husband and wife will both get it at the same time is somewhere between getting struck by lightning and winning the state lottery. But the doctors have no doubt. The Colonel and Ruth are in the advanced stages of it, and they've both decided they don't want treatment. They're just going to throw in the towel."  
  
"That doesn't sound like them. It especially does not sound like the Colonel."  
  
"From my grandfather's perspective," said Lucy, "he lived through the Depression, and he served in three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He's also campaigned for human rights all his life, even at times when it was not popular in this country to champion causes overseas."  
  
"He and Ruth are members of Amnesty International, aren't they?" asked Deena.  
  
"Almost since its founding," confirmed Lucy. "I signed up a couple of years ago, and I've been trying to get my siblings to do the same. The group has done nothing more since it began than fight for basic human rights and the freeing of all political prisoners. From the perspective of some Presidents and their hacks, however, Amnesty is no better than a lot of the terrorist groups going around - a view which I think is really unfortunate.  
  
"But that's never fazed the Colonel: He did far more than his required twenty years, and the government has to pay him his half pension whether they like his views or not. He's had a full life, Deena, and the way he sees it, it's time for the generation of Camdens twice removed from him to make their mark, just as Dad and Julie have and George will in the future. It's like that line from a World War I poem; the line that goes 'To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high .'"  
  
"'If ye break faith with us, we shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders Fields'," finished Deena softly. A tear started falling down her left cheek. She wiped it away with her free hand. "But what's Ruth's story?"  
  
"She and the Colonel are a tag team, as she sees it," said Lucy. "If he goes, she sees no point in living any more. Since they both got hit with cancer at the same time, she figures, they may as well go out together."  
  
"Meaning?" asked Deena.  
  
"No, Deena, I know what you're thinking. They haven't made a suicide pact. But they've said they don't want any heroic lifesaving efforts. Palliative care to ease their suffering as they die, yes they've conceded to that. But they seek nothing more than that."  
  
"So how much time have they left?"  
  
"Two months, around the time my baby's due. Four months tops, when yours and Mary's are."  
  
"Wow. Know that Simon and I are praying for them, and for your parents, Luce"  
  
"Thanks, Deena," said Lucy.  
  
"Is that it?" inquired Deena.  
  
"Pretty much all . I've given you the lowdown about my parents. I can't think of anything else, unless there's something on your mind."  
  
"Well there is, as a matter of fact," said Deena. "It's about Ruthie and Peter. What's with those guys?"  
  
"I'm not sure I feel comfortable talking about that, Deena," said Lucy. "She confides a lot in me, and so does Peter. You know as a minister, I can't say much."  
  
"But she talks to me, and to Simon," pointed out Deena. "We discuss our sex lives openly to each other, and give each other advice. For what it's worth, I tell you about Simon and me and you tell me about Kevin and you. Besides, Ruthie and Peter's affair is not a family secret, it became public information at the trial. Come on, Luce, give."  
  
Lucy took about a full minute to let that one sink in. She realized her sister-in-law had a point.  
  
"I love my sisters and brothers more than life itself," said Lucy. "They're the lights of my life, all of them. If all of us except Sam and David are having sex, we're just being human. It's a perfectly normal, biological function. Sometimes, when the heart and the head are in conflict, the soul that controls both can't decide. My guess, Deena, is that is how it is with Ruthie and Peter."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Deena.  
  
"When you and Simon were dating in middle school, and tried to carry on a long distance relationship in your first year of high school, were the two of you tempted to have sex? Ever?"  
  
"You know we two met the day Ginger and Charles got married," replied Deena. "I don't know what it was, but something sparked between us. If there weren't so many adults around, I would have gone up to his bedroom with him, and seduced him. We didn't say it out loud THEN, but when we looked back on it a few months back, when I moved in with him, I found out he wanted to seduce me that day too."  
  
"Besides all that was going on, why didn't you?" asked Lucy.  
  
"Because a week later, when that kid Johnny tried to weasel his way back into my life, we both panicked," replied Deena. "Letting him use the girls' restroom that day to hide was my way of protecting him. However, I was also trying to send him a signal that I wanted him to take me right there - I figured we had sex in one of the stalls, we'd take so much time that Johnny would give up looking for us and leave us alone. He was so concerned for himself and for me, he just wanted to hide. Well, we all know what happened the next day."  
  
"Dad got shot." Lucy shuddered - the shooting had taken place years before, but it still made her cringe.  
  
"After that, Simon and I just couldn't think straight," Deena continued. "We were worried both about your mother, six months pregnant at the time with Sam and David; and that Johnny might have gotten a forward man within the school to finish the job. So we focused on our friendship instead. Over the next year or so, we genuinely fell in love - but felt the time wasn't right to have sex. After we split up, I was so despondent that I grabbed any guy I could get. I just wanted the feeling of a man inside of me - but the funny thing was, every time I let someone have their way with me, I couldn't stop thinking about Simon. Turns out Simon could never stop thinking about me every time he and Christine did it, too."  
  
"So what's your question?" asked Lucy.  
  
"Why did Ruthie do it with Peter, and why did they keep doing it even after they were caught? I would have waited a little while longer."  
  
"Bottom line, Deena, the two have so much in common," said Lucy. "They're independent thinkers, they talk about everything, they always get the best grades and each pushes the other to do even better. That art camp must have done wonders for their relationship - so Ruthie tells me, anyway. The difference between them and most of the rest of us was that this time, they were in love with each other and made love to the first person they ever truly loved. When a bond exists like that, and the two partners truly respect each other as absolute equals, nothing can ever divide them."  
  
"Are they having sex at this point in time?"  
  
"Ruthie tells me she and Peter are taking another break," said Lucy. "I don't believe it. She got pregnant once, and although she was shaken up by the miscarriage I think the fact she was carrying a little one inside of her made her fall in love with Peter even more knowing he was the father. My betting is - it's almost Valentine's Day, isn't it?"  
  
"In two weeks," said Deena.  
  
"My hunch is, since the day after is her 16th birthday, he will propose to her, setting as the wedding date the day after he turns 18. It has to be that, because I can't think of anything else that can top his asking her if she wanted to be his sponsor when I baptize him in April."  
  
"Right, that," said Deena. "Can Simon and I come for that? The baptism, that is."  
  
"Sure. You're all invited. He's already pretty much part of the family, it's just a question of when Ruthie and he will legitimize it."  
  
"We'll be there," said Deena. "Oh, and Lucy, one more thing?"  
  
"Yes, Deena?"  
  
"Whatever you do, just make sure your water doesn't break when Peter approaches the font."  
  
"Forbid the thought," said Lucy, laughing uncontrollably. She calmed down, then added, "But that's God's call. By the way, Deena, boy or girl?"  
  
"It's a girl," said Deena. "And Mary called me earlier - she and Robbie are having a boy. What about you, Luce?"  
  
"A girl," said Lucy. "But only Matt, Mary, and Ruthie know. I'm keeping it a secret from Kevin, and I'm not telling either my parents or Sam and David. I'd tell Jennifer and Charles, but I don't think they understand they're having a sister - or if they did, they'd tell Kevin. Matt and Mary told their spouses, and it's okay if you tell Simon. By now, Ruthie's told Peter for sure and I can trust both of them, even if they are fooling around."  
  
"Well, good luck, Lucy," said Deena. "God bless."  
  
"See you soon, Deena."  
  
As Lucy hung up the phone, she heard a loud noise coming from the sky. Sounds like military traffic, she thought. She stepped outside, and looked up.  
  
An Apache helicopter was flying over and making its landing onto the rooftop of the police station. A woman in handcuffs stepped outside, escorted by two U.S. Marshall's deputies. She was taken down to the interrogation room, where Kevin and Roxanne were waiting for her.  
  
"So what's your story?" Roxie asked the woman rhetorically, as the tape recorder was turned on. The cop knew, but she wanted the suspect to say it herself.  
  
"My name is Helen Henderson," said the woman. "I am the wife of the late Frank Henderson. I am here to answer a fugitive witness warrant in regards to the death of my husband. I am saying nothing further, until I can speak to my attorney. Here's his number."  
  
Helen pulled out a business card, with the name of a top-flight attorney from Napa Valley.  
  
"Why Napa?" wondered Kevin.  
  
"I grew up there. The lawyer on the card was my high school flame. He also was handling my divorce when Frank was murdered."  
  
"Did you have anything to do with ." Kevin asked, but Roxie waved her hand.  
  
"She's asked for her attorney," said Roxie, picking up her cell phone and dialing the number on the card. "We'd better follow procedure here and not ask any more questions until this guy gets to Glen Oak. We're getting enough flack from the state Attorney-General on how we screwed up with Frank."  
  
Kevin Kinkirk groaned, but realized Roxanne Richardson had a point. 


	19. A Neat Little Package

Chapter Nineteen  
  
Three days later, a makeshift court was set up inside of the police station. The county chief judge, who had been up in arms over the bizarre turn of events that led to Henderson's murder, was now sitting on a chair behind a table at eye level next to the court reporter, a tape recorder in front of them; across from Helen and her attorney. At an adjacent table sat Kevin and Roxanne. After a quick swearing in, the judge reviewed a statement drafted by the witness' lawyer, signed under Helen's hand, and stating she was waiving her right to remain silent. Now, the judge asked if Helen was ready to give her deposition.  
  
"I am, Your Honor," Helen said.  
  
"Well, I may as well cut to the chase. Did you have anything to do with the death of Frank Henderson?"  
  
"No, ma'am, I did not. But I know who ordered the hit."  
  
"And who was that?"  
  
"That would be Benedict Peterson, my boyfriend at the time of my husband's death."  
  
"Wait a minute," said the judge, "let me understand this. Your boyfriend was the husband of the woman who provided YOUR husband's bond?"  
  
"That's right, Your Honor," conceded Helen. "To make a long story short, Benedict was victimized by my husband a number of years ago when they were roommates at the teachers' college they attended together. Around the time the initial allegations came out last summer, Frank was worried he would be fingered by Benedict. So, he offered to buy Benedict's silence for a fair sum of money - about $50,000. Benedict asked for some time to think about it. He finally agreed to take the money, and insisted on a certified check. But then, just days before the trial started, Frank stopped payment on the check. Benedict was furious, and discovered two prison guards who were just waiting to get their revenge. He offered them $5,000 each to whack Frank; which they did."  
  
"I'd like to hear Mr. Peterson confirm this himself," the judge said.  
  
"That will be quite impossible, Your Honor," said Roxie. "Ms Henderson and Mr. Peterson were on their way to Vancouver when the Washington State Police picked her up after a traffic accident. It turns out that Mr. Peterson was addicted to some pain-killers. That morning, however, he made the rather unwise decision to mix them with a couple bottles of beer while having his favorite breakfast - steak and eggs. He was effectively three times over the legal limit when he slammed his car into a light standard and it then flipped over onto oncoming traffic - before finally being hit by a Mack truck. He was killed instantly because he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and the front and side airbags, when they finally deployed, decapitated him into several pieces. Helen here, on the other hand, was wearing her seatbelt and incredibly walked away with only a few bruises."  
  
"What of the prison guards?" asked the judge.  
  
"They've already copped a plea," said Kevin. "Man two. One to three years. When they get released, they'll have their rap sheet wiped clean and they'll go back to their jobs without loss of rank or seniority."  
  
"There's something I don't understand," wondered the judge. "Why were you running away from your kids?"  
  
Helen burst into tears. She asked for a cup of water, and after sipping it, tried to calm down. Once she had settled a bit, she found her voice again.  
  
"After I found out my kids had sex with each other, I couldn't face either of them," said Helen. "Now I know they were under duress from Frank, but I just had to get away. I'm back now, though, and I'm taking up my parental duties once more. I want to help my daughter raise my son, and I will."  
  
The judge heaved a huge sigh of relief, and tore up the custody papers that Child and Family Services had drawn up the day before.  
  
"One more thing," said the judge. "Why did Sharon offer bond for Frank?"  
  
"Sharon and Frank's affair was a brief but very torrid one - I'm sure you've seen the tapes, Madam Chief Judge. Nothing that comes out of the B- movie circuit in LA's San Fernando could ever match what you saw in the evidence lockup," said Helen in a nonplussed voice. "But shortly after that summer camp last summer, the relationship turned very violent. Sharon was physically and sexually abused by Frank repeatedly. She posted bond under duress. After the story about Frank doing his sisters and the kids came out, she finally had enough. She got a restraining order, not because he was scared of what would happen to her next, but just to get some distance between her and him. She didn't want to say the truth because she was so embarrassed. She was going to ask Benedict to take her back; but I guess he wanted one final fling with me before he said yes."  
  
"And you were raped by Frank, which is why you slept with Benedict."  
  
"Yup," said Helen. "Benedict was the first man who ever treated me with respect in my entire life. I guess in the end I was prepared to left Benedict go because he and Sharon wanted to give it another go. He just saw a vulnerable woman and thought Sharon wouldn't mind if he left her for a while because of the state I was in. In the end, however, Frank had everything wrapped up in a neat little package. He had all three of us under his thumb, and it was a question of who was going to do him in - not if he was going to be done in."  
  
The judge sighed. She decided that it was time to put the whole matter in the grave once and for all.  
  
"You're free to go, Ms Peterson," said the judge, slamming her gavel. The court reporter turned off the tape recorder. "Officers Kinkirk and Richardson, would you help the witness gather her belongings?"  
  
The cops got up and escorted Helen to her cell for the final time. As she left the secure area, she turned to them and thanked them for treating her so well the last few days. She walked out the fire door which closed behind her.  
  
"So Kinkirk," said Roxie, "it's Valentine's Day next week. What do you and Luce have planned?"  
  
"Nothing in particular," said Kevin. "Why?"  
  
"Well, you and the entire Camden gang - or what's left of it here - are invited to our engagement party."  
  
Kevin, who had been palming his knife stick, dropped it on the concrete floor.  
  
"What?" he asked in shock, as he picked up the baton. "You and Chandler are getting married? For real?"  
  
"We decided the time is right," said Roxie. "And we really can't wait too much longer."  
  
"You're pregnant?"  
  
"No, Kinkirk," laughed Roxie, "but we're heading into our thirties, and we want to start a family right away. After the engagement party, he and I fly to Vegas where we're going to elope. We're spending the weekend there."  
  
"Well, congratulations," said Kevin, shaking his partner's hand. "It's about time."  
  
"Thanks pal," said Roxie, hugging Kevin. "Well, it'll be nice to get back to normal police work. Let's see what Michaels has for us."  
  
"Richardkirk," said Detective Michaels, "there's a domestic situation on MLK and LBJ. Get there and settle it pronto!"  
  
"Yup," said Kevin, as he and Roxie ran for their patrol car, "definitely back to normal." 


	20. Two For the Font, Twelve for the Gallows

Chapter Twenty  
  
Valentine's Day came and went, and no marriage proposal, or any commitment of any sort, was forthcoming from Peter Petrovsky. Peter decided he just wasn't ready yet. As for Ruthie, she didn't really mind because she wasn't sure how she would have reacted had her boyfriend popped the question. Eric and Julie were trying to help their brother the best they could with their parents, but they knew it was a losing battle. Annie and Lucy, meanwhile, were keeping up the household, praying that Eric would eventually come back to Glen Oak and offer, if not a total reconciliation with his wife, at least a truce.  
  
February went by, as did March. It was now April and Spring Break, and as it turned out that year, Easter fell the first Sunday of that month. It was the few days before. Mary and Robbie were flying in for the holiday, as were Simon and Deena. Both women were into their seventh month of their pregnancies and doing fine. Lucy, meanwhile, was actually a week overdue, after Hank recalculated her due date as being March 27th. But her unborn daughter was also doing fine, her uncle reassured her, and there was really nothing to worry about.  
  
Lucy had put on about twenty-five pounds during her current term, about the same as when she was carrying the twins a couple of years before. This was either going to be a big baby, she thought to herself, or she was eating way too much even for an expectant mother.  
  
The minister was at the church on this Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. By a strange coincidence, the first night of Passover was also that night, and she decided to hold a special service that night recreating the Last Supper; complete with unfermented wine and unleavened bread. To make the ceremony truly authentic, she even managed to get a number of the parishioners to volunteer to have their feet washed by Chandler.  
  
She was also busy organizing the decorations for the following Sunday, as well. For obvious reasons, she had the décor in the church as stark as possible this night. But her office was filled to the brim with a few dozen vases of lilies and daffodils, which would be placed all around the church sanctuary just before the Sunday service. Also, in a particular container, was a jar of special water. It was with this that she was going to baptize Peter; for he had elected to take his vows of initiation that weekend. Lucy was really looking forward to that. She had been fond of Peter for a long time, and she was proud that he had asked her to inaugurate him into the congregation.  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come," said Lucy. In came Roxanne, with her husband, Chandler.  
  
"Hi guys, what's up?"  
  
"All set, Luce?" asked Chandler.  
  
"Sure, Chandler," replied Lucy. "I can't believe this Sunday is going to be your final service here."  
  
"Well, I'm really looking forward to working with all those kids at the Divinity School," replied Chandler, "and besides, it'll let me do more of the research I've wanted to do but couldn't when the deacons here hired me."  
  
"What about you, Roxanne?"  
  
"I'm still going to be a cop, Luce," replied Roxie. "It's just that I'll be doing it from a different perspective now. There's the chapel over there, so I guess I won't be coming here much anymore. A shame, really, because I kind of like it here."  
  
"You're a good friend, Roxanne," smiled Lucy. "If I've ever said an unkind word or felt resentful towards you, I'm sorry; but I guess I just felt defensive when it came to Kevin. Still do, in fact. But I'm a minister now, and I have to take a look at the bigger picture."  
  
"No sweat, Lucy. What's in the past is in the past."  
  
"I have my sermon all written up, Luce," said Chandler. "We just dropped in to leave it with you, in case you want to make any changes."  
  
"I don't think that's necessary, Chandler," replied Lucy. "It's your swan song; I'll leave it up to you to say what you want to. But thanks anyway."  
  
The Passover Seder went off without a hitch. So did the first part of the Easter service. Chandler thanked the congregation for their support over the last few years, and bade them to the care of Lucy; a shepherdess, he said, with who he was sure they were in good hands. The congregants gave him a standing ovation.  
  
It was now Lucy's part of the service. She stepped up to the pulpit.  
  
"Of all the days on which one can attest to his or her faith in our Lord and Savior, none is more blessed than this Happy Easter. I now call upon the candidates for baptism to step forward; along with their sponsors."  
  
There was only candidate: Peter. He stepped up to the dais, with Ruthie by his side. Paris had wanted to be there, too, but had unexpectedly been called on business and wasn't due back until later in the week.  
  
He was wearing a tuxedo, his girlfriend a dress quite tasteful for a sacred celebration. Between them and the baptismal font was Lucy. Lucy had searched a number of lectionaries from several Christian denominations for a wording formula; suitable for a teenager being christened. She finally settled on one that she thought expressed her sentiments of the sacrament almost perfectly, but she altered the wording slightly to suit her needs as well.  
  
"Heavenly Creator," began Lucy, as Peter and Ruthie bowed their heads, "You give us grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power. In baptism, we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us. At the very dawn of Creation, your Spirit breathed on the waters, making the wellspring of all holiness. The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness. Through the waters of the Red Sea, you led you chosen people, the forefathers and mothers of our Jewish brothers and sisters, to be an image of God's holy people set free from sin.  
  
"In the waters of the Jordan River, your Son, our Lord and Savior, was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit. Your Son willed that water and blood should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross for our salvation. After his resurrection, he told his disciples to evangelize the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And so God, look now with love on your Church and unseal the fountain of baptism. By the power of the Spirit, give this water the grace of your Son, so that in baptism all those you have created in your image may be cleansed from sin and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen."  
  
Peter lifted his head, followed by Ruthie. He took a deep breath. While he had rehearsed the baptismal vows several times, he was concentrating now on their meaning.  
  
Lucy asked Peter to step forward towards the font. Ruthie placed her hand on his right shoulder.  
  
"Do you reject Satan, all his works and his empty promises?" asked Lucy.  
  
"I do," said Peter.  
  
"Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"And do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?"  
  
"I do." Peter was taking another breath now. This was the moment of truth. He took another step forward, as did Ruthie. Lucy asked Peter to kneel down before the font, which she had filled that morning with the special water.  
  
"What is your name?" asked Lucy. She knew, of course, but she wanted to keep to the book.  
  
"Peter James Petrovsky." He closed his eyes.  
  
"Peter James," said Lucy, dipping her hand into the water and touching Peter's forehead, "I baptize you in the name of the Father ."  
  
She dipped her hand in a second time, touching his forehead once more.  
  
". and of the Son ."  
  
She repeated the procedure a third time.  
  
". and of the Holy Spirit ." Lucy took Peter's hand and drew him back to his feet, Ruthie still by his side, her hand still on her boyfriend's shoulder. Lucy completed the baptism with the Aaronic blessing: ". the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen."  
  
Peter was beaming, as was Ruthie. She finally took her hand off Peter's shoulder, and squeezed his hand.  
  
"By the power invested in me by God," continued Lucy, "I now declare you, Peter James Petrovsky, to be a member of the Christian Church, with all the right and the responsibilities that come with it. I call upon you to walk in the light of Christ and to be a point of light, just as our Savior is the light of all nations. I now seal your membership by offering you the right hand of friendship, and a brotherly kiss."  
  
She leaned forward and shook Peter's hand, and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you, Reverend Camden," said Peter softly to Lucy, as he kissed her on the cheek and as the congregation applauded. "I'll do my best not to let you or my fellow parishioners down." He glanced downward briefly, then quickly looked back into Lucy's eyes. "Um, there's just one thing, Lucy."  
  
"What?" asked Lucy, as the applause diminished.  
  
"How much water did you use on my forehead?"  
  
"Not a lot, Peter," replied Lucy. "You said you didn't want baptism by immersion, so I just sprinkled your forehead. Why?"  
  
Peter pointed down. The floor beside the font was covered by a puddle.  
  
"OH NO!" shouted Lucy. "MY WATER BROKE! Deena, you warned me this might happen. Chandler, would you?"  
  
Chandler didn't need to be asked. He was already on the platform, along with Kevin, Deena and Mary, helping Lucy off the altar and to the car so she and her husband could rush to the hospital. Deena and Mary, their pregnancies obvious to all, had a hard time controlling their laughter. They finally burst into mirth, followed by their respective husbands, and soon everyone in the room, even Lucy, were laughing too over the sheer irony of the situation.  
  
As Kevin and Lucy drove away from the parking lot, Chandler resumed the service. Peter and Ruthie resumed their seats. As the collection plate was being passed around, Ruthie handed her boyfriend his present. It was a white gold cross on a matching chain. Peter stole a kiss from his girlfriend, appreciative of the gift, and glad he could now truly call himself her equal. 


	21. Untimely Ripped

Chapter Twenty-One  
  
Lucy and Kevin sped through town to the hospital, about a ten minute drive from the church. Her first contraction hit just as she slid herself into one of the wheelchairs outside and Kevin pushed her through the sliding doors. The contraction was far more painful than what she went through when she was in the final stages of labor with the twins, and she grimaced with all her might to stop from screaming. The Kinkirks were in such a rush to get to the emergency ward that Lucy was still wearing her minister's robe, tassel and Roman collar.  
  
After giving her insurance information, Kevin kissed his wife and said he'd rush home to grab her suitcase, which had been prepared a month before but was still in the garage apartment. As he walked out the front door, Dr. Hank Hastings rushed in and nearly hit the cop broadside.  
  
"Oh, Kevin, sorry!" said Hank. "I got here as fast as I could; Annie paged me as soon as it happened."  
  
"No problem, Hank," said Kevin. "Your niece awaits you . tell her I'll be back in twenty minutes."  
  
Kevin walked out towards his wife's car, which was still running. Hank, meantime, wheeled Lucy towards the maternity ward.  
  
"I'm glad to see you here, Hank," Lucy told her uncle. "But I thought you were celebrating the eight days of Passover this year, and refraining from working."  
  
"I was basing that on you not going into labor for another week or so," replied Hank, as they went into the elevator and Hank pushed the button for the ninth floor. "But you're my niece, and family always comes first. I was there for Jennifer and Charles, and I want to deliver your daughter too. Oh, does Kevin know it's a girl?"  
  
"No," said Lucy. The doors had closed in front of them and the elevator was now making its climb, beeping once as it passed each level. "All my siblings except Sam and David know, though. If they knew, they'd tattle. Maybe I should have told him after all, Hank, but he's been kind of hoping for another son and I think he's going to be disappointed."  
  
"He'll get over it," said Hank, as the elevator reached their floor and the doors opened. He and Lucy went forward and turned left. "He loves you, and once he's thought it through he'll realize it doesn't matter what sex it is, as long as it's healthy."  
  
"And is it?" asked Lucy, as they neared the room awaiting her.  
  
"For the tenth time, yes," said Hank.  
  
A few seconds later, they reached Room 12. Hank wheeled Lucy to the bed, on which a hospital robe was laid out. After helping his niece out of the wheelchair to sit on the bed, he pulled the privacy curtain around it, and told his niece to undress and put the robe on, buttoned only around her mid- riff. Lucy took several minutes to do so, dreading the next contraction. Finally, she pulled the curtain away, and Hank began attaching the various cuffs and electrodes for the fetal monitor around her body.  
  
"I hope you don't mind this, Luce," said Hank, as he placed one of the electrodes on her cleavage, below which laid her heart.  
  
"There's nothing there you haven't seen before, Hank," Lucy told her uncle flatly. "Besides, after the roller-coaster this family's been through the last year, including my sister and me being totally humiliated before the whole town, giving birth is almost a relief. And you're not like . well, you know."  
  
At that moment, Lucy had her next contraction. It wasn't as powerful as the first, but Lucy recoiled and her head slammed backwards into the pillow. She knew by experience what to do; inhaling and exhaling repeatedly until the worst was over. Hank's hand was holding hers all this time.  
  
"Man, that was a whopper!" said Lucy breathlessly, and grabbing a huge glass of ice water, gulping it down. "At that rate, I could be out of her before midnight!"  
  
Kevin rushed into the room, followed by the family that was currently in Glen Oak. Peter came in last, wearing the gold chain and cross Ruthie had given him. The Easter service had ended around the time Lucy was wheeled into the room and they all wanted to make sure the minister was doing fine.  
  
"I'm okay, guys," said Lucy. "If memory serves, the rules say only one or two at a time, so . um, Mom and Kevin, you're first. Hank, would you?"  
  
At that moment, a Dr. Catherine Ellison, the deputy director of gynecology at the hospital, popped in. As Hank led the crowd out, Catherine went up to the bedside and she checked the monitor. The baby was doing fine. But there was something that caught the doctor's eye.  
  
"Lucy," said Catherine, "your blood pressure appears to be quite low for a woman who's supposed to be in labor, even between contractions."  
  
"Is there anything wrong with that?" asked Lucy, a little worried. Annie and Kevin looked at each other, a little nervous too.  
  
"It's not, at least not yet," said Catherine. "But there are a couple of possibilities you have to be aware of. One is that at some point, the pressure and your heart rate might spike up, way up."  
  
"You mean eclampsia," said Lucy. "What Mom had when she had Matt - what nearly killed both of them in childbirth."  
  
"Oh, you know about that," said Catherine. "Well, we have a protocol for that in case it happens to you. The same thing if the contractions stay relatively far apart and you don't dilate fast enough."  
  
"Wait a minute, doctor," said Kevin. "If you're talking about a c-section, forget it. Lucy's doing this the normal way, we both discussed it."  
  
"If it was a matter of life or death," said Annie testily, "and you had to choose between a c-section and your wife dying, what would you choose, Kevin? If I had to do it all over again, I would've insisted on a c- section to get Matt out. That would've meant him being delivered instead of born, but he wouldn't have been in an incubator for six weeks and I wouldn't have been in intensive care for two months!"  
  
"All right, Annie, I get your point," said Kevin contritely. "I should point out, though, that would've also meant all your other children would've had to been delivered surgically, too."  
  
"Oh, knock it off guys!" snapped Lucy. "Who gives an 'f' if my siblings were 'born' or 'delivered'? That's just semantics. They're here, they're part of my life, and I love them all. For what it's worth, I don't want a c-section, either, but if it comes to that, I'll take one. When will you know, Dr. Ellison?"  
  
"We usually give a woman twenty-four to thirty-six hours, depending on her age and size, for her cervix to dilate ten centimeters - that's when the womb's entry gets big enough for the baby to make his or her way down the vagina," replied Catherine. "If it's not up to five within the first twenty-four, we don't wait any longer because even the constitution of a Ms. Olympia couldn't stand the strain of labor anymore. We go for a c- section. If there's even the hint of eclampsia, however, we won't wait a minute longer, Lucy. We'll get you in the delivery room and yank that baby out via your tummy as fast as we can - Hank and I, working together, can do it in about forty-five seconds."  
  
"Well, let's hope we can do it the normal way, but if 'from his or her mother's womb untimely ripped' my baby must be, as was Macduff, then it shall be." The doctor left to check on another patient.  
  
Annie looked at her daughter oddly, surprised she would quote almost verbatim from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Indeed that was Macbeth's downfall in the play, believing he was going to remain King of Scotland until natural death because the Weird Sisters, or the apparitions they conjured rather, told him no man born of woman could harm him - not realizing that his archrival Macduff was born by a c-section.  
  
"I'm sorry, guys," said Lucy. "I guess I wasn't planning on this happening today. In fact, I think Kevin and I agree that this whole pregnancy was totally unplanned, too."  
  
"Is that true?" asked Annie.  
  
"It is, Annie," admitted Kevin. "Lucy and I have talked about getting fixed, but we decided against it. As soon as she's able to, Lucy's going on the Pill again. We're not going to have another kid for at least seven or eight more years. Yes, I do have family wealth, but I don't want to rely totally on that. And between raising the kids we already have and running the church, Lucy just won't have time anymore - at least until she can put her own personal mark on the church, now that Eric's throwing in the towel too."  
  
"Well, Mom, I can totally relate to you now," said Lucy. "Um, there is just one thing that I've always wondered about. You told me about the night I was conceived. What about the night I was born?"  
  
"Not much to say," said Annie, shrugging. "Of all the pregnancies and labors I went through, yours was the easiest. You were three weeks premature, and I was in labor for only two and a half-hours. The contractions just came one right after another, two to three minutes apart. I pray you'll be okay. You gave me two grandchildren already, and I want to be able to see you hold my third."  
  
"Thanks, Mom. I love you so much!" said Lucy, a tear streaming down her face. "And I love you Kevin, for giving me this wonderful gift, even if it was unexpected."  
  
"I only gave you the seed, Luce," smiled Kevin, and leaning over to kiss Lucy. "We conceived the baby together and you've given it a home these past nine months and two weeks. I couldn't imagine any woman being the mother of my children other than you."  
  
They kissed again. Then Kevin and Annie stepped out of the room. Lucy then spent some time with Mary and Robbie, then Simon and Deena, and finally Ruthie and Peter. Each gathering was more emotional than the last, with Peter holding Lucy's hand nearly the entire time as she endured a series of irregular contractions.  
  
The afternoon gave way to the evening, then night, then morning. The gang was pacing the floors over and over, waiting and waiting and waiting, ordering Chinese and pizza takeout, and pacing even more. By noon the next day, Hank and Catherine, who had downed several pots full of coffee to stay awake, gave up.  
  
"Lucy," Hank told his niece, "you gave it your best shot. You really did. But even with your blood pressure and heartbeat back to normal and your contractions regular for the last twelve hours or so, the fact is you've been in labor for twenty-seven hours and you're only up to six centimeters. It's time to get this baby out. Are you ready for that?"  
  
"Let's rock!" said Lucy. She had dreaded this just the day before, but now she seemed almost cheerful about it, a challenge more than a curse.  
  
Catherine gave Lucy an epidural and another anesthetic to freeze her tummy. Then the two doctors helped Lucy from her bed onto a stretcher, and with Kevin by her side they went down the hall to the delivery room. Lucy laid herself on the steel bed, and a curtain was drawn between her neck and her breasts. Catherine made an incision across Lucy's tummy, a millimeter at a time, then a second one on the uterus. Then Hank reached in, scrapped off the placenta from the womb and lifted the baby out of Lucy's body. It started crying immediately.  
  
"Congratulations, Kevin," said Hank, as he handed the baby to Catherine so it could be cleaned up. "You have another daughter!"  
  
"A girl," said Kevin. "That's great! I can wait for another son . I'm just glad she's alive and so is Lucy!"  
  
"Oh, Kevin, I love you so much," said Lucy from behind the curtain. Kevin pulled it away and started kissing his wife, who was already out of breath but had waited for this moment. They held the kiss for an entire minute, long enough for the baby to be cleaned up and for Hank to hand him the scissors to cut the umbilical cord.  
  
"I'll leave you guys alone for a while, while you think of a name for your daughter," said Hank.  
  
"That's okay, Hank," Lucy told her uncle, "we thought of one already. Since it's a girl, we're naming her Rhiannon Ruthie, in honor of the two girls most responsible for the downfall of Henderson. Buddha was said to have written that a child without courage is like a night without stars; and it took all the courage in the world for that woman and my sister to stand up and do what was right. We don't want our daughter to ever forget that - we want her to lead and not follow, too."  
  
"Good for you, Lucy," said Catherine. "Congratulations to both of you. I'll let the gang know."  
  
"Wait a minute," said Kevin, realizing the implication of what Lucy had just said. "You knew it was going to be a girl?"  
  
"Months ago," admitted Lucy. "I wanted it to be a surprise this time, only because we were all under so much pressure. I hope you're not mad at me."  
  
"Forget it," said Kevin. "I wouldn't have cared either way. But next time, Luce, let me know. We're in this together, remember."  
  
Lucy nodded, and kissed her husband once more. She held up little Rhiannon to her left breast and the baby began to suckle on her mother.  
  
The group was ebullient over the news. Mary and Deena felt especially grateful for Lucy, because she was first to the finish line this season, and the successful delivery was the push they needed to see the rest of their pregnancies through. Ruthie, however, had mixed feelings. While she was grateful to be an aunt again, she wished she still was pregnant and on her way to having hers and Peter's son, so they could have spited Henderson the way Lucy just had. But Peter brought her back to reality.  
  
"I wasn't ready to be a father, Ruthie," said Peter. "Your due date would have been the middle of May, around the time of our final exams. On the fast track we're on, there are no deferred exams. And besides, honey, Dale Carnegie said it best, 'don't kick a dead dog.' What's done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it. When you are ready, I will be, and we're going to make great parents. Right now, I can think of only one way we can celebrate my baptism."  
  
"What's that?" his girlfriend/godmother asked.  
  
"Monday night. Remember? It's Lou and Annie's Bible study group at the church?"  
  
"That's right, I totally forgot about that," said Annie. "I'll take a pass tonight, for obvious reasons. Say hi to Lou. What's the topic for tonight?"  
  
"Something about the difference between a man's honor and a woman's shame in Biblical times," said Ruthie.  
  
"Ewww," said Peter. "Being a Christian is going to be harder than I thought."  
  
The group laughed. Ruthie kissed Peter and said, "At least you're going to get a lot of help - starting with Number One." She pointed upwards. Hand in hand, they walked down the hall to the elevator, towards the early summer breeze and a leisurely stroll to the church where a number of their fellow teenagers were waiting for Lou to start the meeting. 


	22. Four Horsemen

Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
One month later, Ruthie and Peter were spending a Saturday morning working on a local Habitat for Humanity Project, this one in conjunction with a major developer restoring an abandoned warehouse and turning it into a series of loft condominiums. The contractor had the idea to mix geared-to- income units with ones sold to people with the ability to pay full price. The way he saw it, poor people had the right to enjoy the finer things in life too and this was one way to do it. Not only would they gain connections to wealthier people who could help them find better employment, the wealthier residents would benefit from the experiences of "real" people. Not surprisingly, demand for both sets of units was so huge that a lottery had to be held.  
  
Ruthie and Peter had handled a number of duties working in Habitat projects, including roofing, electrical, and landscaping. On this day, they were putting up drywall in the various units. Ruthie held up the sheets over the metal frames and put them in place with drywall tape, while Peter secured them into the walls with a drill and staple gun. Then, every few feet, they would switch. It was a laborious and mundane process, but they were enjoying every minute of it; even knowing that in adjacent units licensed tradespersons were doing the same thing for the "rich" units at high hourly rates.  
  
It was mid-morning as they turned a corner in one unit and started dry walling the other side. As Ruthie reached for another sheet, she accidentally bumped her derrière into Peter's.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Peter!" Ruthie apologized.  
  
"That's okay, honey," said Peter. "The guys in the locker room at school keep telling me about movies that started just like this."  
  
Both kids laughed. Peter put the staple gun into his right holster and the drill into the left, and drew Ruthie towards him. They kissed long and hard, the first romantic kiss they had had in months. They let it go just as they heard the unmistakable footsteps of the supervisor, and went back to work as if nothing had happened just as the super peeked into the unit they were working in.  
  
The events of the past year had really frazzled Annie. With reluctance, she finally caved into one of Ruthie's longstanding requests, and had gotten her a cell phone, on condition that she used it for local calls only. Out-of-town calls and text messages would be her responsibility. Ruthie didn't mind that condition; she really wasn't into text messaging anyway and other than her family and the friends she had made during the scandal didn't know anyone from away either.  
  
During lunch that Saturday, however, Ruthie heard her phone ring. She saw it was her father calling, from Buffalo. She answered the call.  
  
"Hi, Dad, how are you?"  
  
"Hi, Ruthie, it's so good to hear your voice again," said Eric. "And I'm fine. How's Lucy?"  
  
"She's still a little upset you didn't hang around for the birth of Rhiannon," said Ruthie, "but she'll get over it. Chandler agreed to squeeze in a couple more weeks while Lucy's recovered from the c-section. She'll be back behind the pulpit this Sunday. How're the Colonel and Ruth?"  
  
"Struggling," said Eric honestly. "The doctors think they might be able to hang around through the summer, but that's about it."  
  
"How're Aunt Julie and Uncle George?"  
  
"Not good. Between the three of us nursing to their every need, it's crazy."  
  
"I thought Veterans' Affairs would've taken care of the Colonel's medical bills," said Ruthie, perplexed. "Isn't there a VA hospital in Buffalo?"  
  
"Yes, but you're thinking acute care, Ruthie, immediate medical needs like surgery," replied Eric. "We're talking chronic, long-term care. Even the VA, with all their resources, doesn't want to be bothered with that anymore. They say they do, but you know what they're really trying to say. As for nursing homes, my parents ruled that out. They want to die at home, with dignity."  
  
Ruthie audibly sighed.  
  
"So how's Annie?" wondered Eric.  
  
"All right," said Ruthie, hesitantly.  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"Whatever it is between you two, Dad, you're going to have to settle it with Mom," said Ruthie. "I'm not your messenger, or hers."  
  
"Now Ruthie, wait a minute ."  
  
"I don't need lectures from you, or anyone else, on when to talk back at people," said Ruthie flatly. "Two's company, three's a crowd. You and Mom both cheated on each other, and made it the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's the first lesson we learned in kindergarten, Dad: Clean up your own mess. Now, I have to go. Peter and I have to finish dry- walling the fourth floor before 2:30. We want to see the Derby at 3."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's today. I completely forgot about that - and the time difference. Well, I hope I get you when you're better next time."  
  
"Whatever," said Ruthie, and hit the "end" button abruptly.  
  
"Um, Ruthie," said Peter, downing a bottle of ice tea, "I don't mean to butt into business that isn't mine, except we spend so much time together your family is my business. Don't you think you were just a little rude to Rev. Camden?"  
  
"Peter," replied Ruthie, "that's the first time he's called me in over three months. In fact, it's the first time he's contacted me at all in all that time. No e-mails, no text messages, nothing. How would you feel if your Dad suddenly barged back into your life, unannounced? What would you do?"  
  
"I'd rip him apart," replied Peter. "Okay, forget I mentioned it. Sorry. What do you have planned tonight?"  
  
"I'm not in the mood for sex," said Ruthie.  
  
"Who said anything about sex?" asked Peter, surprised. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't do that again until Eric and Annie resolved their issues."  
  
"We don't have to wait for them, Peter. When we're ready again, we're ready. But no, I don't have plans tonight. Where do you want to take me?"  
  
"That new Thai restaurant at the Promenade, next to Pete's Pizza," said Peter. "I think the dress code is business casual or better. Besides, that little bump we had this morning reminded me that we've kind of lost our touch the last few months. We need to work on our relationship a little more again, before we get back in the sack."  
  
"I agree, Peter," said Ruthie. "Know this; I haven't stopped loving you one bit. I guess, however, I got kind of distracted too, after Dad walked out. I presume you've made reservations."  
  
"Seven o'clock, sharp."  
  
"Come to my door at 6:30, and we'll walk there."  
  
Several hours later, Ruthie and Peter were eating at the restaurant. She was wearing a new tan business suit while Peter was in a starched shirt, tie and slacks. Between courses, the two found themselves staring into each other's eyes, the candle on the table glowing in them, looking for the something that brought them together in the first place. They finally discovered it as the check was delivered to them. Unspoken, the two had an immediate understanding of what they had to do. But it wasn't for themselves; that could wait.  
  
It was for others. That's what brought them together: they loved their fellow humans more than themselves, or each other. And now, it was Eric and his sister Julie who needed help the most. But school wouldn't be out for another few weeks. They needed something to fill in for them until they themselves could get to Buffalo. It was time to call an old friend: Ginger in Phoenix. 


	23. Paging Dr Ginger

Chapter Twenty-Three  
  
Ruthie called up her step-grandmother the next morning, just before church. She wasn't exactly sure what her reaction was going to be.  
  
"Hi, Ruthie," said Ginger when she answered the phone.  
  
"How did you know it was me, Ginger?" wondered Ruthie.  
  
"Caller ID."  
  
"Well, I hope I'm not getting you at a bad time, but ."  
  
"I know why you're calling, Ruthie. Peter e-mailed me last night. Actually, I'm one step ahead of you. Your father and Julie called me a few days ago, asking me if I could give them some help. I said I would. I don't mind: after all, Eric was my son-in-law at one point."  
  
"You really don't mind helping out the Colonel and Ruth?" Ruthie was surprised.  
  
"No, of course not. I've got some family who's still here, they can keep an eye on my place here in Phoenix while I'm in Buffalo."  
  
"I really appreciate that, Ginger. When school is out, Peter and I are going to fly out to Buffalo and take over from you. We promise that."  
  
"And Peter's mother is okay with that?" wondered Ginger.  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Ruthie. "Paris is cool with it. For what it's worth, she was planning on visiting her relatives in Russia this summer. She hoped to take Peter along, but his Russian isn't all that fluent. Actually, he doesn't speak Russian, period."  
  
"Glad to help in any way I can," repeated Ginger.  
  
"Hey, listen, Ginger, before I go, I have to ask you something. It's kind of personal, and I hope you're not embarrassed by my asking this, but ." Ruthie hesitated briefly.  
  
"I'm an open book," said Ginger. "Ask me anything."  
  
"It's about Peter and me," said Ruthie. "I guess you know our story by now. It's not like most of the national papers have gone over the story over and over again - but of course, they have."  
  
"What you and Peter do, Ruthie, is really none of my business," said Ginger. "If you guys want to have sex, I don't care. Truth is, your late grandfather and I had sex before we were married. In fact, my first husband and I had premarital sex, too - and that was in the forties and early fifties, when it was really, really frowned upon."  
  
"Well, you answered my next question," said Ruthie, a little relieved. "But still, it's not just sex I want to talk to you about. It's the romance. I mean, you'd agree with the idea that a relationship should be based on more than just sex, right?"  
  
"Of course," agreed Ginger. "In an ideal world, it would be the way Lucy did it and most people until relatively recently did: love, marriage, and sex - in that order. But this isn't an ideal world. Thanks to contraceptives, the worry people have about accidental conception has been reduced. Not eliminated, but reduced somewhat. I won't question two people who are truly in love with each other and have each other's unconditional consent having sex - but I would ask serious questions if they don't have a relationship of any sort; or if they're just having casual sex; or even if they don't respect each other, let alone love one another."  
  
"You know I love Peter, though," said Ruthie. "And he loves me. But it's been, like, three or four months now since we've been together like that. And I'm beginning to wonder if that's a bad sign."  
  
"Is it by your choice, or his?" asked Ginger.  
  
"We both agreed to call a moratorium," replied Ruthie.  
  
"Then it's not a problem," said Ginger. "When you both feel the time is right to do it again, then it's right. Truth is, I've actually had a couple of boyfriends since your grandfather died. And, yes, I've had sex with them too. I know what you're thinking, Ruthie, old people having sex ."  
  
"No," said Ruthie. "I'm thinking about the joke about what the preferred method of birth control is for people over forty."  
  
"Nudity," replied Ginger, laughing. "It's an old, old one. But I'm very, very careful at my age. I always use condoms; always. The risk of infection for older people is so much higher than for younger people like you, Ruthie."  
  
"Look, Ginger, I'm glad you're okay with me and Peter having sex," said Ruthie, "but I wanted to talk to you about keeping the flames burning. I want the two of us to have passion again, and I don't just mean under the covers."  
  
"Have you told him lately how much he turns you on?"  
  
"No," said Ruthie. Her left eyebrow seemed to be knotting itself at that moment. "Deena told me I should tell him that, months ago."  
  
"Have you?" asked Ginger.  
  
"No," said Ruthie honestly. "I thought it sounded so corny."  
  
"Passion and romance isn't corny, Ruthie," said Ginger. "If it was, your grandfather and grandmother never would have had Annie. In fact, Charles told me they felt better knowing they conceived your mother when the passion between them was just starting to heat up. I'm sure the Colonel and Ruth would say the same thing about Eric and Julie."  
  
"So what should I do?"  
  
"Start with what I told you," said Ginger. "But then, don't do anything else until he does something nice for you. And by nice, I mean totally unexpected. You counter with something in return, and so on. It doesn't have to be expensive, just thoughtful. Within a few weeks, you should reach the point where the two of you are ready to go back up to the next level - or if you both agree you want to wait a while, that's fine too, just that you know you're both ready."  
  
"Thanks, Ginger," said Ruthie.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Ruthie, one more thing," added Ginger. "I presume you're still on the Pill?"  
  
"I've been taking it every day since Peter and I got back from camp last summer," said Ruthie. "It's the prudent thing to do, but the PMS has gotten worse since I started it. I want to stop to give my body a break, but ."  
  
"Don't," warned Ginger. "Whatever you do, don't do that. Remember, you miss it just one day, and you will get knocked up."  
  
"I got knocked up on the Pill regardless," pointed out Ruthie. "Lucky for me I miscarried."  
  
"True," conceded Ginger, "but at least you got the message about how important that it is to stay on the Pill. Until you and Peter are absolutely, one hundred percent sure you two want to have children together, stick with it, no matter how bad your nausea gets at that time of the month."  
  
"Of course," said Ruthie.  
  
"And don't worry about timing," said Ginger. "The two of you made love for the first time when you least expected it. You'll do it again when you least expect it again, and that's when the two of you will be at the most in love with each other. Don't worry about what your parents or your siblings or anyone else thinks. Just do it if it feels right, and let God sort it out. I'm sure in the end, He'll understand."  
  
"Thanks, Ginger," said Ruthie. "Well, I really got to get ready to go to church. Call me when you get to Buffalo. Oh, and Ginger?"  
  
"Yes, Ruthie?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"Love you too, honey," said Ginger, a grin on her face. "Bye for now."  
  
Ruthie hung up the phone. She knew now what she had to do; but she still wanted a second opinion. She phoned up Peter and asked him if he and Paris could come over to the parsonage after the service. As it turned out, Paris was out of town, again. Ruthie said to forget it, it could wait another time. 


	24. The Longest Two Weeks

Chapter Twenty-Four  
  
A young woman was in a doctor's office. She was in total shock.  
  
"I don't believe you! You have GOT to be kidding me!"  
  
Those words spread forth from the lips of Deena Stewart. She was at her previously scheduled final pre-natal checkup along with her husband, Simon Camden. It was now the first week of June, and she was only two weeks away from giving birth to their daughter. But the news her gynecologist was now giving them just didn't make sense. It was, in fact, not possible that this was happening to them.  
  
Two weeks earlier, on the same day Ruthie and Peter were working at the housing project and wracking their brains trying to figure out how to put the spark back into their relationship, Simon and Deena spent that Saturday morning sharing a bubble bath, their first since their honeymoon. In fact, this was probably the closest they had ever been together.  
  
Although at that point she was eight months pregnant, being able to make love in this way was almost a relief to both of them. In fact, during the school year that had just ended, they were rarely able to be so intimate. For them, it was only once every fortnight at one point; and knowing she was carrying their daughter, it seemed at times they were only becoming one human being for the sake of doing that because they were married. In fact, Deena felt bad having fibbed a few months before to Lucy - a minister of all people - about her private life with Simon. Actually, she had exaggerated the truth to all three of the Camden sisters, who were still under the impression Simon and Deena were as hot for each other as Eric and Annie had been at some points in their marriage. It wasn't that the couple didn't love each other; they just couldn't be alone enough.  
  
It was the day after they had received their report cards. To their huge joy, they had both passed, with flying colors. They spent an evening on the town, holding each other's hands like they hadn't since the day they eloped. They were too exhausted after returning to their apartment to think of anything else and just collapsed in bed, fully clothed but falling asleep in each other's arms.  
  
But the next morning, before the crack of dawn, Deena stirred from her sleep and woke up Simon who at that moment was also wiping the sandman from his eyes. They decided to pick up where they left off the previous night, and make up for lost time. They quickly undressed each other, and headed for the tub. As Deena filled it with warm water and bubble formula, they kissed each other all over and whispered sweet nothings in each other's ears. This went on even after they stepped inside the nearly full tub, the displacement of their bodies causing the bubbles to reach the rim. They spent nearly an hour that morning bathing each other and making love four times.  
  
But as they dried each other off, Simon sensed something was wrong. In their nine months since they reunited, he had become quite accustomed to the minute peaks and valleys of her bosom, but when he ran a towel over her left breast, his fingertips felt a very tiny lump, the size of a chickpea. Deena felt it too, quickly put her hand where Simon's was, and touched it too. She was alarmed. Still undressed, she broke free from Simon's embrace, ran into the bedroom and called her gynecologist on his cell phone. The office was closed, but he referred her to the hospital, where they extracted tissue from the suspect lump and sent it to a laboratory for a biopsy. The past two weeks would be the longest of her life, and Simon's. It wasn't just the fear that she might have cancer, but that it might have also spread even to her unborn child. So she asked for another amniocentesis, just to be sure.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms Stewart, but there's no mistake," said the doctor. "The lump is malignant. The good news is your daughter is cancer-free. The bad news is we need to get you to the hospital right away or at least in the next couple of days. Then we're going to have to do one, or possibly even two things. The first thing we'll do is a lumpectomy, where we extract just the lump and a bit of the surrounding tissue. Hopefully, it will not have spread to the rest of the breast. But if the cancer has spread to that tissue, we'll have no choice but to do a radical - a total mastectomy; or a partial, where we remove the part of the tissue that is malignant but leave enough to attempt breast reconstruction without having to resort to implants. That'll mean an uneven bosom, but still better than only having half left.  
  
"In either case, you can forget about using the left breast to breastfeed your child until we're absolutely sure, and even if we can save it, I wouldn't risk breast feeding with it for quite some time, or you two trying to get pregnant again until your child has weaned off of her mother totally."  
  
Deena was shaking at this point, and leaning on her husband for support.  
  
"Can you give us a minute?" asked Simon.  
  
"Go ahead, Mr. Camden, but don't take too long with Ms Stewart," said the doctor. "We're going to have to induce labor within the next couple of days. I wouldn't bother with a c-section, unless your wife wants it."  
  
"You're right, I don't," replied Deena. "I want at least one of our children born the natural way."  
  
The doctor nodded, and stepped out. As the door closed behind them, the couple looked at each other, totally sullen. It was a full minute before Simon spoke first.  
  
"Damn," said Simon, "the left side. That's my favorite, too. If you lose it, even if it gets smaller than before, I'm really going to miss it."  
  
"Breast cancer at twenty-two," said Deena, biting her lips wistfully. "I can't even imagine it - especially with me being two weeks from being due. I was looking forward to the big day; getting to know what it was like to have my water break and let nature take its course with the contractions and everything else that came with childbirth. Now we know it's going to be sooner than later, and I don't even know if I'll be able to hold our daughter even once. What if I never leave the hospital; what if I die without saying goodbye to our little girl?"  
  
"First," said Simon, "we don't know that the cancer has spread. Second, you'll make it through, and you'll be fine."  
  
"But Simon," said Deena, starting to cry, "Of all the things I love about you, it's how you make love to me. I know we haven't done it often enough, but I still look forward to it, and the waiting is always the hardest part for me. When we do, that anticipation just - well, rushes out. But it's, in part, knowing you're making love to all of me - all my mind, all my soul and all my body, that makes it so much better, and why I want to do the same with you, making love to all of you. If part of me is missing, how are you going to cope? Will you even still want what's left of me, knowing what's gone is gone forever?"  
  
"If it goes, it goes," said Simon. "I'll always love you even if you are maimed either by accident or design. And I'm certainly not going to ditch you, especially with a baby just days away. We created it together, and I'm taking responsibility for that. We'll get through this. If we have to find other, more creative ways to make love to compensate for losing a breast, we will. Our daughter won't care, either - just knowing she has the greatest mother in the world will be enough for her." He kissed his wife and held her close, while she continued to shudder until she finally stopped convulsing in tears.  
  
When the doctor stepped back in, Deena didn't even wait for him to ask what she wanted to do.  
  
"Call paramedics. I want this baby out now - like, today. And get rid of the lump today, too. If the cancer has spread, I want to get radiation and chemo pronto. Breast-feeding my baby is less important than being around to see her at all!"  
  
The doctor nodded, and called 911. She was rushed to the hospital with Simon by her side, getting to the maternity ward twenty minutes after the call. The doctor trailed the ambulance. Although he tried not to get emotional about his cases, this was a very unusual one and he genuinely felt for the woman. He said a quick prayer to whatever power he believed in that she would make it through.  
  
Once on her assigned bed, Deena was given a series of drugs designed to induce labor. About an hour later, somewhat longer than the doctors had initially anticipated, her water broke. Fortunately, she would be spared the long agony that Lucy had faced six weeks before. Just three hours after her first contraction, Deena gave birth to a nine pound, three ounce girl. Simon and Deena were delighted, but their joy was tempered by the reality at hand. After a few minutes of bonding with her daughter, Deena reluctantly handed her back to one of the nurses assigned to her. She said she was ready to have the lump taken out.  
  
Having put her under general anesthesia, the doctors made short work of the procedure at hand, removing it in less than half an hour. As Deena came out a couple of hours later, she saw Simon pacing back and forth, taking an occasional glance at the glass separating the emergency delivery room from the nursery. He was looking at the little girl, wrapped in a pink blanket, in the Plexiglas crib three rows up, six columns down. What if she had to grow up without her mother? This was going to be the longest night of both their lives; for the doctor had ordered the lab to perform a rush analysis on the second biopsy. Neither could sleep even if they wanted to.  
  
It would not be until noon the next day that they finally got the news. The cancer had been contained before it had gotten a chance to spread. Simon and Deena started kissing like crazy. It was like they had been handed the hen that laid golden eggs.  
  
"I still don't get it, though," said Deena, once she gently pushed Simon away. "How can a young woman like me get breast cancer, especially when I'm so far ahead into my pregnancy? I know having a baby will never eliminate the risk, but I would have thought I wouldn't have to worry until my forties, or later."  
  
"It doesn't work like that, Ms Stewart," said the doctor. "Anyone can get it - even men. You're lucky to have a husband like Simon. He knew something was wrong when even you didn't. He may have saved your life. Oh, and now that you've tested malignant once, you're going to have to have a mammogram every year, maybe even more often, for the rest of your life. If there's even a small chance you might have cancer, we'll want to act fast, as we were able to do this time. And you'll still have to do monthly breast self-examinations between the mammograms, either by yourself or with Simon's help."  
  
"So what does that mean for my little girl? Can I still feed her?"  
  
"I may have over-exaggerated before. I would say that, until the incision completely heals, and for at least a month after, I wouldn't want to risk using the left side. The right side should be no problem. In fact," said the doctor, handing the baby who had just been taken out of the nursery by another nurse and then in his turn passing it to Deena, "you can start nursing her right now. By the way, have you two decided on a name?"  
  
"In honor of his mother and mine," said Deena, "we're naming her Annie Janice Stewart Camden." Simon nodded.  
  
"All right, then," said the doctor, getting ready to leave, "I'll let the three of you make up for lost time. And congratulations to you, on both counts."  
  
Simon kissed his wife and then his daughter then slowly removed the paper shirt that Deena was wearing, exposing her right breast. More nervous than she had ever been, Deena held up little Annie to her bosom, only to discover to her chagrin that the nipple had inverted. Simon, who had gotten plenty of pre-natal advice from Matt and Sarah, gently placed his hand on his wife, and gently manipulated her until the peak came out the right way. Relieved, Deena kissed her husband and started feeding her daughter. She felt a rush flow through her body, one even more intense than the morning two weeks before when they had last made love. If she could, she would have wanted Simon at that moment; but knowing that they now had a family of their own was thrill enough.  
  
As she drew Annie away after having fed her, Deena looked upwards towards the ceiling. She thanked God for having helped her make it through the last day and a half. She then added an extra prayer.  
  
"Look out for Mary, Lord. Make sure she and Robbie don't have to go through what Simon and I have had to the last couple of weeks."  
  
"Amen," said Simon. 


	25. Be Yours to Hold It High

Chapter Twenty-Five  
  
It was the end of May, and school had just let out. True to their promise, Ruthie and Peter gathered their belongings and got ready to go to Buffalo. Ruthie wasn't exactly looking forward to it. As much as she loved the Colonel and Ruth and wanted to make their remaining days the most comfortable they could be, she knew she would have to face her father again. The last time they talked hadn't been a pleasant conversation at all. Peter wanted to mind his own business, but knew that if he ended up marrying Ruthie, Eric would be his father-in-law and he at least wanted the minister and his daughter to have a truce if nothing else.  
  
Ruthie and Peter were driven to the airport by Lucy, who was rushing to get back to visit a few of her parishioners at the hospital. After the routine of checking in, the two settled into their economy class seats for the flight to Buffalo. They were waiting for the dreaded in-flight meal when a flight attendant asked them what they wanted to drink. It was Mary.  
  
"Mary," said Ruthie in total shock and hugging her sister, "what a surprise!" Ruthie looked down at her sister's tummy, which was now fully protruded and in the shape of a volleyball.  
  
"Say, Mary," asked Peter, "aren't there rules about pregnant women not being allowed to fly when they're so many weeks into their pregnancy?"  
  
"You're thinking cruise lines, Peter," said Mary, laughing. Knowing what the kids wanted from experience, she served them both iced tea. "Actually, I'm going back to Fort Lauderdale, via Buffalo. Then I'm off for about three months. I'm due next week, as you both know, and I needed the overtime; but I don't want to risk going into labor in-flight. You guys know what happened to Deena." Mary shuddered. "Fourteen years in remission, the cancer comes back, and it spread to her hooters?"  
  
"She's fine for now, Mary," reminded Ruthie. "But any plans Simon had to go on a coach tour in France this summer while Deena was bonding with Annie are now out. He's going to have to be by her side almost constantly until school starts again, just in case she has another recurrence."  
  
"Yeah," said Mary. "Well, I have to get back to work. And, by the way, congratulations to both of you - for wanting to help out both John and Ruth. I would too if it weren't for this." She pointed to her abdomen.  
  
"Thanks, Mary," said Peter. "Say hi to Robbie and good luck when your son does decide it's time."  
  
Mary smiled, and continued up the aisle.  
  
The flight was uneventful, and by the time the plane landed in Buffalo it was early evening. After claiming their luggage, Ruthie and Peter went to the arrivals lounge, looking for any sign of Eric or his siblings. They weren't around. Ruthie then called her grandparents' number. There was no answer.  
  
"That's odd," thought Ruthie. "There's always someone home at the burg."  
  
"Maybe we can grab a taxi, go to their place, and find out if they're okay," suggested Peter. "We can then unpack and order in supper. I feel like Chinese take-out, if you're game."  
  
"No problem," said Ruthie.  
  
They found a taxi, pretending to be a brother and sister visiting relatives in town, and started down the highway towards town. No sooner than the cab reached their desired off-ramp when Buffalo was hit by a torrential downpour. The taxi driver deliberately slowed down, not wanting his young charges to get hurt. The drive took another fifteen minutes, but Ruthie and Peter didn't mind. They wanted to get to their home for the summer each in one piece.  
  
Having arrived where they wanted to be, and then paid their fare and an extra tip to the driver, Ruthie and Peter retrieved their luggage and walked up the cobblestone walk to the guesthouse where Mary had crashed during her year of exile from Glen Oak. Ruthie, who had the key on her chain, opened the door. It was empty, except for the usual furnishings. The lovebirds dropped their luggage and then headed for the main house. It, too, was empty.  
  
"Now this is weird," said Peter out loud. They walked around the house, and finally found the kitchen. A sheet of foolscap from a yellow legal pad was attached with cellophane tape to the refrigerator door. Ruthie grabbed it and started reading:  
  
"Dear Ruthie and Peter: We tried to reach you this morning, but you were already on the flight over. Mom and Dad finally decided that they need professional help for their last days, and they called Matt. He found a place at a VA hospital, but it's in Manhattan and so we three kids decided we're going to crash with Matt and Sarah at their place until the end comes; which will probably be by the end of next week. Ginger already went back to Phoenix. Don't bother following us, we'll be okay. Just keep an eye on the place. There's enough food in the fridge to last a few days, after that you can use the money and bank card on the table - the PIN number is in the envelope with the money, too. So, Peter, don't do anything stupid. And Ruthie, we'll talk when it's all over. Love, Eric and Dad."  
  
"What kind of a man just takes off like that, not even giving us advance warning?" asked Ruthie angrily, dropping the letter onto the floor.  
  
"Forget that," said Peter. "Don't you get it? We have this house all to ourselves for the next week and a half. All to ourselves, Ruthie."  
  
Ruthie shook her head impatiently, then her eyes widened. At last they finally had the opportunity they'd been waiting for; a chance to reawaken their hearts and souls with each other. Still, she felt uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, if we wind up having sex here, then we have sex," said Ruthie. "But don't you think there's something just a little wrong with dancing on my grandparents' soon to be grave?"  
  
"By this time, honey, they're so high on morphine they won't care anymore," said Peter shrugging, "and there's nothing your parents or his siblings can do, either."  
  
"They could charge us with statutory rape, Peter," pointed out Ruthie.  
  
"Don't you remember what Roxanne told us last year when all that baloney was going on with the Henderson affair? They'll only file those charges if one of the partners is over eighteen and the other is under that age. They're too busy worrying about other stuff they can't be bothered with teens doing it. Besides, do you think your father would really slam the book at you?"  
  
"He did with Mary."  
  
"She was an adult by that time," Peter reminded his girlfriend. "Come on; let's order that takeout, then we can figure out how we're going to spend our time here."  
  
They spent the next two hours reviewing the events of the past year and getting up to date with each other's families. As they progressed through each of the courses, Ruthie was actually starting to feel better, knowing she could talk to Peter like this, the same way they did before that fateful night at summer camp, when they didn't need sex to show each other their mutual feelings. Finally, as they were gathering up the greased-up bags and throwing them in the trash, she finally said what she had wanted to say for a month.  
  
"Peter," she said, "some time ago, you gave me this promise ring and you told me that you'd be there if and when I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Well, this is your chance to hold yourself to that promise. After a false start last fall, I've decided I want you, and only you, to be the father of my children. This time, however, I want us to have children in wedlock. So, once and for all, I want us to make this relationship an exclusive one. Whenever you're ready to pop the question, I'll be waiting, and you can be sure of what my answer will be. I love you, Peter."  
  
"I appreciate that Ruthie, and I can only say just how much I love you, too," said Peter. They kissed each other. "This won't be the night, though. We're still only sixteen, and we still have a lot of time left. But if you want, the guest house is waiting for us."  
  
Having waited months on end to make love once more to the man of her dreams, Ruthie decided the guest house was too far. She started undressing her boyfriend, wanting her and him to become one on the counter in the center of the kitchen. Once he was bare, Peter completely undressed Ruthie, reached into his gym bag for a condom, and they lay down on the counter, Peter on the right side and Ruthie on the left, giggling the same way they had their first night together. Just a few moments after they finally melded together, the phone rang. Ruthie groaned, gently pushed Peter aside, and ran for the telephone, picking it up.  
  
It was Mary, crying audibly at the other end. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that no sooner had the plane landed and she was getting ready for the final leg home than she went into labor. Less than two hours later, she had given birth to her son, 8 pounds even, and perfectly healthy in every way. The bad news was that, at almost the exact same moment her water had broken, Robbie had been involved in a car accident in Fort Lauderdale, when a drunk driver T-boned him and his car went careening towards a tree. He was still alive, but was in intensive care, and the doctors were worried he might have been rendered a quadriplegic.  
  
"This is the best and the worst day of my life!" screamed Mary. "I finally became a mother, but the father of my baby is now a cripple! Totally useless! How am I going to go on, supporting both my son and my husband? I can't do this, Ruthie, I can't!"  
  
"Calm down, Mary," said Ruthie, still naked. She held onto the handset while Peter, still grumbling at the unwelcome interruption, slipped Ruthie's blouse back onto her and re-buttoned it for her, then started putting his own clothes back on himself. "What hospital are you at?"  
  
"SUNY Buffalo Medical," said Mary. "But what can you do? I need my husband; I want to be with him!"  
  
"Mary," said Ruthie, while she slipped on her panties and then her slacks, "We don't know if Robbie is crippled or not, so let's worry about the here and now. He's getting the best care he can get right now, and that's all that matters. Let's pray he'll be okay. As for you, you need to spend the next few hours bonding with your son, my nephew. Peter and I are coming over right now to be with you and give you all the support you can."  
  
"What about Grandma and Grandpa?" sobbed Mary.  
  
Ruthie filled Mary in on the details, and then repeated her promise she and Peter would be there as soon as possible. She then hung up. As it was, the local subway line was only a couple of blocks away from the Colonel's house and it ran right to the hospital. Peter and Ruthie spent the next few hours comforting Mary and taking turns keeping an eye on the newborn boy, then leaving her every so often so she could breastfeed her son.  
  
By the next morning, they got some good news. Robbie was going to walk again. But he was in for a very long period of rehabilitation, at least a year. Mary was relieved that she still had a husband at all, let alone that he was going to be in one piece and that they could resume marital relations in the future. She told the nurses that she still wanted to wait another day before deciding on a name for the infant. Finally, after talking with Robbie, still very much in pain but grateful to be alive and getting his permission, Mary decided to call her son Martin Caesar, in honor of two of her heroes: Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.  
  
Peter and Ruthie left the hospital, having stayed there nearly two days straight. Upon hitting the guest house, they picked up from where they left off when they had been interrupted by Mary. At that moment, several hundred miles away in Manhattan, John and Ruth Camden slipped into another coma. An hour later, more in love with each other than they had ever been, Ruthie and Peter fell asleep in each other's arms. Simultaneously, Eric, Julie and George made the decision they hoped they would never have to make. They asked the doctor in charge to pull the plug on their parents. Fifteen minutes later, Colonel John Camden suffered a massive stroke and died instantly. Ruth had a heart attack an hour later and flat lined within a couple of minutes after that. 


	26. Guess Who's Coming For Breakfast?

Chapter Twenty-Six  
  
It was about nine thirty the following morning. Ruthie and Peter finally awoke, and realizing the state both were in, decided to cover the evidence. As Ruthie headed into the shower in the guest house, Peter put on a housecoat, ripped the sheets off the bed where they had made love the previous night, and ran into the house. He put the sheets into the washer to soak them, and then ran upstairs to the shower in the master bedroom in an attempt to conceal what Ruthie had done to him.  
  
Meantime, Ruthie had spent a full ten minutes in the guest house shower. She put on the flannel housecoat around herself and then a terry towel around her hair, deciding that, since it was such a nice day, she would let the air dry it. As she unlocked the door and opened it, she came face to face with her uncle, George Grayson.  
  
She shrieked, and in her panic ripped the towel off her hair. She then grabbed the strap around her waist and tied it tighter.  
  
"Uncle George!" she said in a panic. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"The question is, Ruthie, what you are doing in the guest house?" said George. "Julie and your father and I asked you and Peter to keep an eye on the main house while we were gone. Obviously, you haven't, or at least you didn't last night." He pointed to the stripped off bed across the hall.  
  
Ruthie groaned. Of all the people to figure out she and Peter were lovers once more, why did it have to be him?  
  
"Are you going to tell Dad?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"No," said George. "That's for you to tell both your parents - Eric and Annie. I'm kind of involved with someone at school myself, but my real dad doesn't know yet. He's on a mission for the CIA somewhere on the East Coast right now, so he probably wouldn't care. Neither did they know, either."  
  
The fact that George had suddenly switched to the past tense made Ruthie think for a minute. She knew she had to ask.  
  
"Are Grandma and Grandpa okay?"  
  
"They passed away last night, Ruthie," said George flatly. It was in a tone of voice that suggested he wasn't going to cry openly, but that he was tearing up inside.  
  
Ruthie, however, started shivering. She had some issues with the Colonel and Ruth, but she absolutely loved them. It didn't take long for her to burst into tears. She ran across the hallway and buried herself into the pillow. It took her about five minutes before she finally stopped crying. She gently pried herself up from the cushion, and sat up. By this time, Peter had returned from the main house and had dressed up. He had figured it out.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ruthie," said Peter. "Same for you, George."  
  
"Thanks," Ruthie and George mumbled.  
  
"So where's Dad and Aunt Julie?" asked Ruthie, wiping the last of the tears from her now very red eyes.  
  
"They're back in Manhattan. Matt is helping them deal with the mandarins at the morgue and going through the paperwork - the death certificates, the autopsies, and all that. In about an hour from now, Mom and Dad are going to be loaded onto a plane for their final trip home. For what it's worth, my siblings and I made the funeral arrangements with a local home a few months back, just in case. The funeral is in three days - enough time for your other siblings and the in-laws and your nieces and nephews to make it here," George reeled off; then adding, almost as an afterthought, "and Annie, of course."  
  
"Um, George," said Peter, "would you give Ruthie and me a moment please? I know there's a lot we have to talk about, but there's something on my mind that's for her alone."  
  
"Yeah, go ahead," said George. "I didn't have a decent breakfast this morning anyway. Take your time."  
  
George walked out and headed for the main house. Ruthie, meanwhile, took off her housecoat and searched the closet. Out of respect, Peter turned the other away as she was searching for the mourning clothes she had packed back in Glen Oak for the inevitable eventuality.  
  
"It's okay, Peter," she said. "There's nothing here you haven't seen before."  
  
Peter detected a sense of sarcasm in her voice, but quickly forgave her. If his mother had died, he'd probably say the same thing to her. He turned around, determined not to gawk at her slender but now fully mature form.  
  
Finally, Ruthie found the black skirt and jacket she was looking for; then retrieved a gray shirt and black tie, and finally, a black brassiere and matching panties. Solemnly, she put the items on her one at a time.  
  
"I don't get it, Peter," she said, once she finished putting on her black stockings and turned around to face her lover, "it wasn't supposed to be like this. We were going to help Grandma and Grandpa. Now, we're going to bury them, and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I almost feel as if we were dancing on their graves - or gurneys, last night."  
  
"There's no way we could have known when they were going to die, honey, so don't beat yourself up over it," pointed out Peter.  
  
"That's not the point," replied Ruthie, finally standing up. "I love the way you love me, in every sense and form. Why couldn't we have waited until after they had died?"  
  
"What are you saying, honey?"  
  
"I'm saying we're not going to have flings like this anymore, under any circumstances," said Ruthie. "When you propose to me, we can do it one more time to seal the engagement, but after that we're going cold turkey until we actually get married. I feel terrible about last night. It's almost like - I knew it was going to happen, but we were so worried about Mary that after we got back here we both lost our judgment."  
  
"You don't think .?" For a minute, Peter was worried he might have knocked his girlfriend up yet again.  
  
"No, Peter." Ruthie quickly shook her head. "I didn't tell you this until now, but after last fall's scare, Hank put me on a diaphragm. I use both that and the Pill, in addition to you using the condom. But I can't take it anymore. In fact, I'm drawing the line right now. If you can't agree to our going abstinent from here on in, there's no point in our seeing each other anymore; not even in being friends."  
  
Peter was startled. In his wildest dreams, he never could have imagined having a better friend, girlfriend or lover than the sixteen year old girl standing across from him. That he found all three in the same person was like manna from heaven. And yet now, having dated Ruthie Bernadette Camden for three years, having become more intimate with her than with any other human being, and just the previous night having had the most intense experience in his entire life, here she was giving him an ultimatum: back off, or else.  
  
Having come to know her in both the Platonic and the Biblical sense, he quickly realized that she was thinking perfectly straight, even though she had just lost the last blood relatives in her family going back two generations and she was suffering terribly inside. Clearly, she was remorseful for what she and Peter had done, but he knew as a baptized Christian that she couldn't ask for forgiveness by proxy. He had to take responsibility too.  
  
Peter knew he had two choices. If he accepted Ruthie's ultimatum, he'd have to go through the most intense personal restraint he would ever know, or want to know. But if he couldn't hold it any longer, he might be tempted to spread his wild oats elsewhere. The price, of course, would be that he would betray her in the worst possible way and end any chance he had of marrying her. On the other hand, if he called her bluff and ended the relationship, he might be costing himself the one chance he had for eternal happiness in the present life. Not only would he lose Ruthie, he'd also lose contact with the only family, other than his mother, who had ever treated him as their equal.  
  
He didn't want to rush into a decision. So he asked Ruthie one question.  
  
"May I think about it, Ruthie?"  
  
"The funeral is three days hence," she replied, shrugging. "After we bury them, all you have to do is say 'Yes' or 'No.' I don't want an explanation in either case. If you try to explain, or you don't have an answer by the time we get back here, you can take the next plane back to Glen Oak. By that time, your mother will be back home. I'm sure with her contacts, you can find someone else if you want to."  
  
"So, you're saying it's okay if I think about it?"  
  
"You have three days. Breakfast should be ready by now. I'll see you in the kitchen."  
  
The next day, most of the rest of the extended family had shown up in Buffalo. Mary was finally released from the hospital, but had a hard time deciding whether to return to her late grandparents' home to rest up, return to Fort Lauderdale to be with her husband who was still nursing his injury, or to go to the funeral home, new son in tow. She decided in the end to go to the funeral; know that however briefly in their lives they had been great-grandparents they would have appreciated it. She also offered to her family an explanation as to why she chose to name her son as she did; that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and they children need not necessarily be called after relatives; or as their family was, after Biblical characters or saints. In fact, Robbie had been named in honor of Robert Kennedy, whom his parents had fond memories of.  
  
Deena was almost back at full strength. With her daughter in one arm, she was almost constantly putting her other arm around Simon, who couldn't stop crying.  
  
Matt and Sarah were sitting blankly, with a look that evoked a scowl more than a lament. But they were hurting inside; he because of his loss, she because she couldn't stand to see the love of her life hurting.  
  
Sam and David were alternately holding on to Eric and George and Julie. The twins being there was almost a relief to the deeply distraught elder Camden siblings.  
  
Lucy was having the worst time of all. She felt the closest to her grandparents, and had sobbed uncontrollably when she had learned of the news. She initially felt anger at her father, aunt and uncle for having pulled the plug; but then realized that she and Kevin had both taken out living wills themselves asking for the same thing if they were incapacitated beyond any hope whatsoever.  
  
It fell upon her to hold the funeral service and deliver the eulogy. She decided not to glorify their lives but to call it the way she saw it; saying that while they were far from perfect, both had served their country with honor and distinction - he as a Marine officer, she as a dedicated career civil servant, and that the surviving Camdens, present and future, owed them nothing more than serving their fellow human beings with honor, grace, and humbleness.  
  
The Colonel was laid to rest with an honor guard and full honors, Ruth buried in the plot next to his. The folded up American flags which had draped both their coffins were handed over, one each to Eric and Annie. As the group headed back towards the cars, Peter stopped momentarily, gently grabbing Ruthie's arm. She turned to face him.  
  
"I'll do it your way," he said, then kissed her. "See you back in Glen Oak."  
  
Ruthie smiled. "Say hi to Paris when you do get back."  
  
A couple of clusters over, Eric and Annie were walking side by side, the triangle-folded flags in their arms.  
  
"I think it's time we talked things over, Annie," Eric said finally, as they reached the lead car carrying him and his siblings.  
  
"I know," said Annie, "but I need more time and space. Frankly, right now, so do you. Maybe when you guys settle the estate and sell the place, I'll be ready. I'll be okay, and so will Lucy and Ruthie."  
  
"Okay," agreed Eric. "That's looking towards October, I think. Maybe we'll be ready then."  
  
"I hope so. Good luck in the meantime," said Annie. "And again, I'm sorry this happened to you." She turned to Peter. "Let's go back to the Colonel's, and get your stuff. We can be home by evening if we catch the next flight out."  
  
"Sure thing, Mrs. Camden," said Peter. They stepped into the second car, which broke away from the pack to do its bidding.  
  
As everyone went their separate ways, there was a shared feeling that nothing was going to be quite the same way again. But there was also a nagging sentiment all had in common, too: How would the death of the Colonel and Ruth impact on the chances of Eric and Annie ever reuniting? And would it finally drive a wedge between Ruthie and Peter that some of the Camdens secretly wished for, while others dreaded?  
  
As Annie and Peter got off their plane and went to the baggage claim, they were met by Detective Michaels. He had some bad news for Peter: His estranged father, Vic, shot and murdered Paris as she had come home from a successful business trip just an hour before; then turned the gun on himself. It was too much for the young man. He fainted. 


	27. Requiem Part Deux

Chapter Twenty-Seven  
  
Lucy received the call from Annie on her cell-phone around 10:30 that night. She was stunned when she heard the news. Ruthie was just getting ready to go to sleep, so Lucy walked over to the guest house and asked if they could talk for a few minutes.  
  
"Sure, sis," said Ruthie, "what's up?"  
  
"Peter's mother is dead, Ruthie," said Lucy. A tear started to form in her left eye. As it drifted down her cheek, she went on: "She was murdered by Vic, who then shot himself. Apparently, the courts tracked him down after all these years and ordered him to pay tons of alimony and child support. He wasn't going to hear of it so he went, determined to kill both Paris and Peter. Paris kept trying to tell Vic that Peter was on his way home, but he thought she was lying. Finally, he just lunged towards her. She grabbed a butcher knife to try to stab him, but he was too fast for her. She panicked, and dropped the knife. At that moment, he took out the gun he had been concealing and pointed it towards her. She hit the floor in an attempt to dodge the bullet, but forgot about the knife which was just on its way down right then and ."  
  
Ruthie was shaking all over. "For the love of God, don't tell me she impaled herself?"  
  
"I'm afraid so, Ruthie. Well, the neighbors heard the screaming and called the cops, but just as the SWAT team stormed in, Vic just lost it and shot himself."  
  
This was far too much for Ruthie to bear. It was bad enough that her grandparents had died. Now, her boyfriend suddenly found himself an orphan. She started crying, so uncontrollably that when Lucy tried to comfort her sister as any decent sibling or minister ought to, Ruthie shoved her so hard that she did a double take and fell on the threshold of the bedroom door.  
  
Lucy wasn't going to press the point. Ruthie needed time to herself. So Lucy just got up, shook the dust off of her, and headed straight back towards the house.  
  
Eric was waiting for her inside. He was going to take his turn, but was stopped by his daughter.  
  
"Not tonight, Dad. Ruthie needs to be alone. Really, really alone," Lucy warned Eric.  
  
Eric agreed, poured himself a glass of milk, and headed to the couch. Meanwhile, Lucy headed upstairs to the guest room, where Kevin was finishing packing his and his wife's bags for the trip back to California the following morning.  
  
"How much more tragedy can this family take?" wondered Kevin aloud, as Lucy changed into her satin nightgown that her husband had bought as an anniversary present just a few weeks before. He was in bed, under the covers, wearing the matching pajamas she had bought for him.  
  
Lucy looked at her husband, then at their three children. Jennifer and Charles were lying in tiny beds at the foot of their parents' cot, while the infant Rhiannon lay sleeping in a crib a few feet away. They could have no idea of the turmoil their aunt was coping with at that very moment.  
  
"I don't know, Kevin," the minister replied quietly. She kissed each of her children and headed for the bed. She was in no mood to make love tonight, but she wanted Kevin to hold her close anyway. As they squeezed each other tight, she added, "I just thank God some days I have you and our kids; and of course my siblings and parents. If it weren't for all of you, my ministry would have no purpose. In fact, I don't think I'd even want to be a minister."  
  
"But I can't imagine being in your shoes," added Kevin. "First, you had to bury your grandparents, now the mother of what we hope will be a future in- law. I don't think I could take that kind of stress."  
  
"Don't forget, honey," said Lucy, "we both put our lives on the line every single day. You do it protecting the thin blue line while I face the same kinds of people behind a pulpit. The only difference is you have a gun. All I have is pepper spray - some use that'll do if I ever got shot like Dad did."  
  
"It'll be okay," said Kevin. "We'll fly home with Ruthie and help her help Peter. Then we'll figure out where we want to go from here."  
  
"Thanks. Good night, Kevin. I love you," said Lucy, kissing her husband.  
  
"Love you too, Luce. Good night."  
  
They soon fell asleep. But through the open window, a gentle but persistent sobbing could be heard from the guest house. Ruthie wasn't having a good time of it at all. And she felt worse knowing she had pushed Peter away just at the moment when he needed her the most.  
  
When Ruthie, Lucy and Kevin returned to Glen Oak the next day, they found a grim-looking Peter. He seemed to be taking the devastating loss rather well; as the family lawyer went through the motions of the funeral arrangements on Peter's behalf. As much as he despised Vic, Peter decided to have his parents buried together. He figured they might find the peace in death they could not in life. He asked Ruthie to keep her distance for a few days, however, while he sorted things out.  
  
"Can't I at least come to the funeral?" pleaded Ruthie.  
  
"If you want, I can't stop you," replied Peter, shrugging. "But I want the burial to be private - really, really private."  
  
"Fine," said Ruthie in resignation. "Call me when you're ready to talk."  
  
It was the day after the funeral when Peter showed up at the Camden residence. Lucy opened the door, and invited him to join her, Ruthie and Annie for supper. Peter declined, asking instead if he could talk to Lucy for a moment.  
  
"Not Ruthie?" wondered Lucy. "Why do you want to talk to me?"  
  
"Can we discuss this in the office?" inquired Peter in return.  
  
"Oh, sure," said Lucy, showing the young man inside.  
  
As soon as they sat down in the office, Peter he couldn't wait any longer to tell the minister.  
  
"Lucy," he said, "the place I live in is too big just for me. I don't really have any other living relatives, and I'd never ask Ruthie to move in with me. Once the place is sold in a few weeks and I clear out the stuff I don't need, I'm going to start fresh. Get rid of all the bad memories."  
  
"That's great, Peter," said Lucy, smiling. "I'm really, really proud of you."  
  
"For what it's worth, once everything is settled I'm going to be sitting on over a million bucks, and I want to be careful with it; make sure it lasts me and whomever I marry both our lifetimes. That's why I'd like to ask you a favor."  
  
"Name it."  
  
"Well, Matt, Mary and Simon don't live here anymore; and Eric is still on a sabbatical, if you can call it that, in Buffalo."  
  
"He officially retired from my church, Peter," said Lucy. "He's rather busy in Buffalo with that other church, and when he does finish that placement there, he's going to call it a day."  
  
"But there's still a chance he and Annie might reunite," said Peter.  
  
"Right now, I'd say the odds are less than even," replied Lucy, biting her lip. "They're so far apart it would take a miracle to bring them back together."  
  
"But presuming they did, they'd have the master bedroom that Annie is in alone right now; meaning the garage apartment would be vacant right now."  
  
"It has been since Dad left and Kevin and I took over Matt's old bedroom," agreed Lucy.  
  
"Would it be okay, Lucy, if I rented the garage apartment?"  
  
Lucy leaned forward. "Say what?"  
  
"I'll pay for room and board, whatever you deem reasonable," offered Peter. "Kevin did that while he was living here until he married you; and you two paid the church rent until you took over earlier this year. Robbie boarded here, and so did Ben. Why can't I?"  
  
Lucy thought it over for a minute. She was very fond of Peter, but wasn't quite sure what the status of his relationship with Ruthie was at that moment. As a minister, she couldn't condone them shacking up together on the grounds of the manse until they got married; even though technically the garage apartment was not part of the parsonage. As a potential sister- in-law, she felt anxious about possibly interfering in his and Ruthie's relationship at every possible opportunity just as Eric had when Kevin had been courting her.  
  
What really worried Lucy, however, were two other issues. First, would Ruthie appreciate having Peter in the house 24/7? How difficult would it be to keep their promise to each other for a courtship that might last anywhere from two to four more years? Moreover, what if they suddenly broke up? Peter could not technically be evicted just for that; but Lucy would be under enormous pressure from her sister to do just that, to cook up some excuse that would constitute cause.  
  
"I'll talk it over with Ruthie," said Lucy finally. "I want to make sure it's okay with her. If it is, we're all going to have to agree to some ground rules, and I'll want that in the rental contract. But I'd be more than willing to act as landlord if it all checks out."  
  
"How much?" asked Peter.  
  
"What Kevin and I were paying until we moved into the house full-time," replied Lucy. "I'll charge you $700 for room and board; electric, water and heat included. Cable is your responsibility. You can raid the fridge, but within reason. I'll want first and last up front. Future increases will be tied to inflation."  
  
"Is there anything else?" inquired Peter.  
  
"Just one thing," said Lucy. "Listen to me very carefully on this one. Never, ever lay your hand in anger against Ruthie or anyone else in this household under any circumstances. If you do that, either before or after you two get married-"  
  
"If we do get married," said Peter.  
  
"Well, yeah," conceded Lucy. "But if you do, you have a one-way ticket out the door, regardless of whether you and Ruthie have conceived any more children. Don't come back even to visit or apologize. And you can consider yourself disfellowed if you do."  
  
"Deal," said Peter, shaking Lucy's hand.  
  
The arrangements were discussed over the meal. Ruthie had no problem with Peter moving in; in fact she preferred this to what she feared might happen; that Lucy and Kevin might take Peter in as a foster child until he turned eighteen. Under those circumstances, she and Peter would technically be siblings and thus it would be impossible to carry on even a Platonic relationship like they were trying so hard to do now.  
  
The way Ruthie saw it, having her sister oversee her and Peter under this scenario would take the pressure, and temptation, off both of them. Furthermore, it would make it easier for them to arrange study dates; they could have one every night. At last, they could focus on being romantic rather than just expressive. Finally, when they were ready, it wouldn't be a big move for Ruthie; she'd just head around the corner and up the stairs as Lucy had done for almost three years.  
  
Peter finally said good night to Ruthie an hour later, saying he'd be moving in before the start of their next year of high school. Ruthie smiled, and then had a warning for him.  
  
"I won't be waiting for you forever, Peter," she said. "If I don't have a ring around my finger before my eighteenth birthday, you can forget it - and you can leave, too. In the meantime, please respect our agreement. I can't jinx any more people."  
  
"There are no such things as jinxes," scoffed Peter. "Well, good night, sweetie. I need a couple more days; maybe then we can talk about my mother."  
  
"Sure, honey. Good night."  
  
Peter walked down the pathway and back towards his house. Ruthie headed upstairs. She headed straight for the shower; spending nearly a half-hour in there trying to get herself cleaned up, although the soap and shampoo had taken care of that in less than five. It wasn't so much the daily germs she was trying to get rid of as much as the moral stench of the lust she and Peter had had for each other for nearly a year. She was only starting to realize just how much of a challenge Peter was facing; and now that he was moving in it would twice as hard for her to live up to her end of the bargain. 


	28. The Homecoming

Chapter Twenty-Eight  
  
It was now October, about a month after Peter moved in with the Camdens. The school year was progressing quite nicely; and so was, finally, Peter's relationship with Ruthie. He actually felt better knowing that both Annie and Lucy were keeping a constant eye on him and his love. At long last, they could get back to where they had been a full fourteen months earlier: intimate, but in a romantic rather a physical way.  
  
Lucy had thought she would be spending a couple weeks redecorating the apartment to suit Peter's needs. In reality, there wasn't much to be done; Peter asked only for a couple of his favorite fichus plants to be placed around the unit and for a corner to be set aside for his dog. He assured the minister the animal had been fixed so even if he attempted funny business with Happy nothing would come of it. Lucy had laughed, saying it wasn't an issue because Happy had been neutralized, too.  
  
Roxanne and Chandler were getting used to life together as a married couple. For the past few months, starting right after their honeymoon, they had tried to get pregnant but without too much success. They had considered getting help by artificial means but were told to keep trying; that normally medicine wouldn't intervene until a couple had been together for at least two years. This was frustrating especially for Roxie, who was having trouble enough with both her policing duties and redecorating the residence of the divinity deanery at Crawford, which her husband now held. She desperately wanted to become a mother, and a few times on her beats with Kevin she came close to lashing out at him for being lucky enough to help Lucy conceive within months of their getting married, while she herself had now been married longer (three weeks more than the point where Lucy first became with child) and was still out in the cold. Kevin reassured his friend that her time would come and Lucy would be her number two fan, right behind Chandler, when it did.  
  
George Grayson, along with his natural father Will, were a little annoyed when they learned that Lucy had rented out the garage apartment to Peter. But there two other bedrooms, one which had belonged to Simon and the other that Mary and Lucy once shared. They agreed to take those. As they settled in, neither they nor anyone else in the household could get over the irony of it all. It was still very much a Camden household, but with a decidedly different flavor. The only remaining link to the past remaining in the house was Annie.  
  
She wasn't doing all that well. It had now been several months since Eric had left the household over their tiff about her deception about the failed pregnancy and their admitted infidelity to each other. She truly appreciated Lucy and Ruthie being there to comfort her on the most difficult days; but she had only since seen Eric once, at his parents' funeral. She was getting despondent more and more by the day.  
  
Unbeknownst to anyone in the house, a few times she had answered personal ads in the paper from men (mostly in their late 20s or early 30s), all of whom were looking for a one-night stand, no questions asked, with an older woman. As a fifty-something post-menopausal grandmother, she certainly fit their bill. Her excuse to anyone who asked her where she was going was she was taking "a walk on the Promenade," but in fact she was preparing for her secret rendezvous. Her only condition was that the man would use the condom that she provided - which, for extra measure, she bought fresh off the shelf earlier that day. And on all but one occasion, she had sex with all of the younger men in question. The one exception was a man who thought she was a madam of some sort. When he offered her money, she just got up; then put on her clothes, and left.  
  
While she certainly got physical satisfaction out of it all, for in her view having a man share his body with her was better than nothing, none of them even put together could satisfy her the way Eric had done for so long. She wanted him back and to stay, even if he wasn't a minister anymore and even if they would only be staying at the parsonage at the pleasure of Lucy and Kevin, the new housemistress and master.  
  
Sam and David? Well, they were Sam and David. The same eager, emotional, ebullient and excessively exasperating boys they had been ever since they learned to talk in coherent sentences. While everyone loved them, they all wished they'd just grow up.  
  
It was about eleven o'clock at night. Nearly everyone turned in, except for Annie. She was sitting on the edge of her bedside deciding what to do for the next day. She settled on calling her lawyer. There was no point in keeping up the sham. It was probably over between her and Eric. His parents' estate had been wound down, and he was just dilly-dallying. There were plenty of flights coming from Buffalo to the West Coast every day. If he didn't show up by tomorrow night, she'd file for divorce. She wouldn't even warn him of her impending option. There would be no turning back this time. She'd cross the Rubicon, and take it from there, come what may.  
  
For what it was worth, Matt, Mary, Lucy and Simon were all married and with lives of their own. Ruthie had all but started cohabitating with Peter and likely would move to the garage permanently within a year or two. So only custody of Sam and David was in question, and it was never an issue because Eric was keeping up both his child support payments and her alimony just as he promised he would when the trial separation began. Thus, it would be a clean break. She didn't believe in divorce any more than Eric did, but it was probably for the best.  
  
Sighing, she took off all her clothes. The nightgown was hanging in the closest, but she didn't bother reaching for it. Instead, she pulled back the covers on the bed. For this one night, she would try sleeping under the bedspread, naked.  
  
At that moment, she heard an odd creaking noise. It took her a full second for her to realize the door was opening. What if it was one of the others in the house? How would they react to seeing her in this state?  
  
"Annie?"  
  
She gasped. It could only be one person. She turned around.  
  
"Eric?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me," he said, closing the door behind him before anyone else could see them. He had one suitcase in his left hand. This he set aside by what had been his side of the closet.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, suspiciously.  
  
'To ask you to take me back," he said simply.  
  
Annie was stunned. God works in mysterious ways, she thought, but surely this is a crazy coincidence.  
  
"I know what you're thinking," he said. "Why now? What's taken me this long? Well, I was almost at the point where I was getting ready to throw in the towel myself. But something happened a week ago, something that made me reconsider this whole thing."  
  
"What was that?" asked Annie.  
  
"I guess I got to the point where I just couldn't stand being lonely anymore, so I went to a place in Buffalo that's well known in some circles as a bawdy house," Eric replied. "I didn't give my title or anything else that suggested that I was, or had been, a minister. I just said I was out to have some fun. The madam there just pointed me to a room, so I paid up some money in advance, and went to the assigned place. There was this, I don't know how to describe it, incredibly beautiful woman, only nineteen years old. She had just been hired and this was her first night on the job.  
  
"Well, something told me that something wasn't right. So rather than just do my thing, I decided to hold off and started talking to her. At first, she claimed she was a virgin and I was going to be her first. I asked her why she would want to give away something so special to someone she didn't even know, as if it wasn't a big deal. It turned out she had incredibly bad self-esteem, owing from years of abuse. Like many other women who've been subjected to similar torture, she didn't see herself as having lost her virginity because she never volunteered to give it up. I repeated the question, emphasizing that her first experience as a 'born again virgin' should be with someone she trusted and loved, if she couldn't wait to get married.  
  
"Her answer was she had tried, but her search had been futile. She knew it wasn't right, but she was convinced God hadn't intended for her to remain celibate for the rest of her life, and until she found Mr. Right this would fill her need."  
  
"So what does this have to do with us?" asked Annie, her still naked form facing the still fully clothed Eric.  
  
"On a lark, I asked her if she ever pressed charges against her tormenter. She said she was going to until he was murdered earlier this year." He paused for emphasis.  
  
"You've got to be kidding!"  
  
"Her name is Cindy Taylor, and she's the late Frank Henderson's first cousin once removed. She was the 'smoking gun' witness that the DA was saving in case the judge had thrown out all the other material evidence against him. After he was murdered, she just went into a tailspin. She had wanted to contact me for help, but I had left for Buffalo by that time. She took the plane right after, desperately looking for me. She knew who my father was - her mother is an Air Force General - but he had an unlisted number, as did George."  
  
"Why couldn't she talk to Lucy?" pondered Annie. "She's licensed to handle this kind of stuff, the same as you are! In fact, you'd think she'd relate better to a woman than a guy."  
  
"She wanted a 'father figure' who could bring her back from the brink, or at least that's what she told me. She knew there was an interim moderator at that mega-church I've been pastor for the last few months and when she realized it was me, she decided she'd do whatever she could to get me. So she let it slip, through a friend of a friend of a friend, that there was a whorehouse in town that catered to the business and clerical elite in town. The madam, knowing who I was, sent me right to her."  
  
Annie was listening to Eric all this time, trying to make sense of it all. Then it finally struck her.  
  
"Having been abused all that time, Cindy thought that, in spite of all the counseling she went through, the only thing that could equalize the terror she underwent it was a one-night stand with someone she thought was so inherently good and caring it wouldn't matter what anyone else thought. She could consider herself healed, and move on with her life. Is that what you're saying?" Annie looked at Eric squarely in his eyes for the first time since January.  
  
"That's what she told me," confirmed Eric.  
  
"And did you have sex with her?" asked Annie pointedly.  
  
"I did, only to oblige her and knowing it was just a one-night stand and the next time I saw her it would be in counseling," admitted Eric. "But a funny thing happened while she and I were doing it. We weren't one human being, but rather two separate beings just physically together. All that time, I couldn't stop thinking about you. It was like you and I were back in college, the night we first made love to each other. That's what it was. I may have had sex with Cindy Taylor; but in my mind and heart, I was making love to you. And that's when I realized I couldn't take it anymore. We belong together Annie, and I miss being with you. I want you to take me back, and I want us to make love, and this time I want to make love to the real Annie Jackson Camden; the woman of my dreams, the woman who's the mother of my seven children, the woman I want to grow old with and die with and be buried with. I don't care if you've been sleeping around while I've been gone, because I know you have. I know that when you've been with them, all you could think about was me and how it was when we were young, too. I love you, Annie, and I want it to be us, from this night and forever more."  
  
Annie was starting to shake as Eric was speaking. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears, ran across the room, and embraced her husband.  
  
"Oh, Eric, I love you so much!" she said, kissing him over and over. She ripped the shirt off her husband so fast that it literally tore apart. Eric was furiously kissing his wife on the lips, earlobes, bosom and navel and down towards her feet as she worked her way up him, starting with his feet. Once she peeled the last of his coverings, they ran towards their marital bed and made love like they never had before. They were at it all night long.  
  
The rest of the group was both stunned then absolutely giddy when they saw Eric taking his usual place besides Annie at the breakfast table the next morning. They didn't need to be told; the glow in both their faces said everything. It was Lucy who finally spoke for everyone after nearly a minute.  
  
"It's good to have you back, Dad," she said, giving him a huge hug. "And don't ever scare us like that, telling us off then running away, ever again!"  
  
Ruthie and Peter looked at each other longingly, as they broke apart one of the freshly baked loaves of bread that Lucy had made. Unspoken, they knew what they wanted to say to each other; that if they could be as romantic as her parents were, the times they had been together in the past were nothing compared to what lay ahead in the future. But Peter knew it still wasn't the right time. He knew now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, he was going to propose to Ruthie. The only problem was how he was going to top what Kevin had done when he popped the question to Lucy. 


	29. The Proposal

Chapter Twenty-Nine (Conclusion)  
  
It was a much happier Camden household after Eric had reunited with Annie, as October gave way to November, then December. The two were making up for lost time both in bed and wherever they went together, holding hands with each other much tighter than many teenage couples who claimed they were in "love." For Annie and Eric, it was a Renaissance in their marriage. They had passed the seven year itch, the ten year hitch and the twenty-year ditch. It was more than twenty-seven years before they faced a crisis even worse than the first time Eric had considered retiring. Although they had been apart for their twenty-eighth anniversary, both were resolved that they wouldn't miss anymore. If it meant spending more time alone together, then they would.  
  
It was largely for this reason that Eric remained firm on his decision to retire from Glen Oak Community Church. Lucy had stick-handled being Minister, but with Chandler gone it was getting to be quite a handle. Finally, with the help of the deacons, she managed to persuade her father to return with the title Minister in Association. He would be there not so much as a guardian but a pinch hitter; helping out whenever both when Lucy needed a break so she and Kevin could look after their children, as well as on cases that Lucy felt she needed advice on. It was only a part-time position, but it was also Eric's realization that while he couldn't handle being a minister full time anymore and that Lucy was more than walking in his footsteps, neither could he walk away either. Once he was a minister he was one for life, and that's all there was to it.  
  
Roxanne and Chandler had finally succeeded after more than a year of futility and had a baby on the way, a girl, in time for New Years. Roxie wasn't taking any chances. She had already put in for leave in October, when her third trimester started. She wanted her and Chandler's daughter to be perfect, and if it meant staying out of harm's way she would.  
  
George Grayson and his father, Will, were settling into living in California full time. At George's insistence, Will was acting as trustee for the estate until his son finished university the following spring. George was proud of the late Colonel's military service, but there was something about the Marines, and the military in general, that didn't quite fit his style. He had already made some contacts within the civil service, however, and got an early job offer to join the IRS. With Eric's and Lucy's help, George then transferred his credits to Crawford, so he could finish his senior year in sunny California.  
  
Peter was fitting in nicely with the household, offering to clean up the house whenever he could, as well as babysitting the twins as well as Lucy's three children so Annie and Lucy could focus more on their respective duties. He kept insisting to Ruthie he wasn't doing it to impress her, but she didn't care. He was, and she replied in kind by offering to pick up some of the Habitat for Humanity shifts he was supposed to work alone but couldn't because of his babysitting.  
  
For the first time in quite a while, Ruthie and Peter had found an equalizing factor in their relationship. They felt good being together without being together. They were close, but not too close. They also made a point of not spending too much time in each other's company. Eric, Annie, Lucy and Kevin were all relieved at that. For a boy and girl who were just sixteen, they were showing more maturity than many couples who spent fifty or even sixty years of their lives together.  
  
During one breakfast that the two married couples in the household had together the Saturday before Christmas, while Ruthie and Peter were working on an early shift for a Habitat project, the four wondered whether this was because the two kids had had sex, or in spite of it. There was a decided generation gap.  
  
"They wouldn't be trying so hard if it weren't for that crazy night they had at camp together," Eric insisted.  
  
"Oh, come on Dad," Lucy shot back, "they've moved beyond it. You can see how hard they're trying, and they're more in love with each other than they've ever been."  
  
"But is that enough, Luce?" Annie countered. "Don't tell me you guys weren't at all tempted while your husband was just a guest of ours? Even after his ex-wife Mindy just happened to stroll into town?"  
  
"It never crossed my mind, Annie," insisted Kevin, "at least, not on that night. And another thing, what we do in bed isn't really any of your business, just as what you guys do isn't ours."  
  
"Did you guys have sex in this house before you got married?" asked Eric pointedly.  
  
"No, and even if we did, it's a moot point," said Lucy, tearing her teeth angrily into a slice of Canadian bacon. "If you really want to know, Kevin and I were making out a lot during our courtship and then the engagement. We felt each other up, but with all of our clothes on. That's all there is to it. I'm sure that's what Ruthie and Peter are doing as a substitute until they can do it again under our rules, meaning after they get married."  
  
"Guys, guys," interjected Annie, "let's not get all worked up the weekend before Christmas. We still have a tree to decorate, holly and ivy to hang around the hallways, and so forth."  
  
Christmas gave way to January, February, March, April and May. By the time school was to let out for their junior year, Peter seemed to be nowhere near popping the question. He had just turned seventeen, and in a couple of weeks, so would she.  
  
She had the promise ring on her finger, but what good would it be worth if it didn't come with a truly sincere commitment? Peter had the time, the commitment, and certainly the money, to take care of Ruthie for the rest of her life. Valentine's Day seemed to be the perfect day to pop the question. But none had been forthcoming. During the next three and a half months, the two seemed to be going through the motions. Just that morning at breakfast, he never looked into her eyes even once during breakfast; nor had he spoken a word to her all day. This didn't look like a good sign.  
  
Ruthie was on the verge of tears when she headed upstairs to her bedroom. She decided she needed a trip, and with some money saved up she was going to fly to New York City to spend a couple of weeks with Matt and Sarah, something she had planned for months anyway. After nearly five years, they had finally managed to conceive a child, a boy, and were expecting it in time for Thanksgiving. What Ruthie wanted more than anything was to experience what her older siblings already had; a pregnancy on her own terms, with all the joys and sorrows that came with the nine months nearly all women inevitably went through at least once in their lifetimes; not the abruptly ended term she never even knew about until it was too late, but where she knew it was there almost from the start. She was even willing to delay the start of university if that's what it took. If Peter couldn't understand that, there was no point in going on with him any further.  
  
So with a chagrined look, she took a flight on one of Mary's friends and family passes to Newark then made the trip into Manhattan on a Port Authority bus. When she ultimately arrived at her destination after having changed three subway trains and a bus (thank goodness the MTA allows subway to surface transfers now, she thought), Matt and Sarah welcomed her with the love she had come to expect from her brother and sister-in-law.  
  
Ruthie was crying as she told them what she was going through. Matt and Sarah listened patiently, careful not to interrupt until she had told her full story. Finally, when she was done, it was Sarah who spoke up.  
  
"Ruthie, you have every right to be angry with Peter, but keep in mind he just wants to be absolutely sure before he pops the question," she said gently. "Matt proposed to me on our first date. There aren't a lot of guys who are that gutsy - if Matt hadn't known for sure, he wouldn't have."  
  
"And yet," countered Ruthie, "at one point you almost did break up over your decision to use your maiden name."  
  
"I was just being selfish," conceded Matt. "She had perfectly good reasons for wanting to keep the name Glass, and after she went over them with me, I decided she was in the right and I was in the wrong. Oh, and on the subject, we decided that you've more than proven your worth. You managed to keep our secret all this time, and so tonight we're releasing you from it. If you want to tell our siblings and parents that Sarah and I eloped before we convalidated, you can."  
  
"You mean that?" asked Ruthie in total shock.  
  
"Yes, Ruthie," replied Sarah, smiling. "You're the best friend in the Camden family I have, and never during all that time, even during the whole Henderson crisis, did you ever once crack. You never even told Peter Petrovsky, which says a lot about how mature you are. Come to think of it, you're way more mature than even I am, and you're only seventeen while I'm twenty-seven! In the meantime, we thank you for your trust. Now that we're pregnant, the reason why we kept it a secret for so long no longer exists."  
  
"Which was you guys had sex that first night, and you were worried what Mom and Dad and Richard and Rosina would've thought if you'd been 'knocked up,' although technically it wouldn't be a knock-up since it would've been a 'legitimate' child." Ruthie waved her hand. "Sarah, I've kept telling you all these years there's no legal distinction between a legitimate or non- legitimate child. A lot of people still try to make that in their wills, but if they raise a bastard as one of their own or at least support it, then those children obtain full rights of inheritance. In your case, it wouldn't have mattered."  
  
"Except we were head over heels in love, finishing pre-med, and just getting ready to go to medical school," said Matt. "We weren't ready to have a child at that time. We went overboard using protection, and even at one point we were worried it might have failed, as you recall."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Ruthie.  
  
"But it doesn't matter anymore," finished Sarah. "My parents are coming over to Manhattan soon, and when they do I'm going to fess up to them. When you next see your parents and sibs, you can do the same."  
  
"I think it would be better if Matt did that," replied Ruthie. "After all, you are his wife. I'm only his sister."  
  
"You're more than just a sister," said Matt, hugging her, "you're the light of my life, as are all our brothers and sisters! I'll always love you, just not in the way I love Sarah. But that doesn't mean I'll ever love you any less."  
  
"Just one thing, Matt;" said Ruthie, as they let go of each other, "you decided you're not going to convert to Judaism after all; and Sarah has no intention of being a Christian. So how are you going to raise your son?"  
  
"We are getting him circumcised," said Sarah, "but by a doctor, not a rabbi. Don't worry, he's Jewish. Then, we'll show him the ways of both Judaism and Christianity, celebrating all the holidays and what separates us as well as what unites us. When he's thirteen, we'll leave it up to him to decide whether he wants to be confirmed or to have a bar mitzvah. If he decides to become a Christian, I won't object. The same when we have a daughter in the future; we'll leave it up to her to have a confirmation or if she wants to have a bat mitzvah. If she wants to be a Jew, Matt won't stand in her way."  
  
"That's very mature of both of you," said Ruthie. "Just one thing: what if one or some of your kids want to be Jewish but the rest want to be Christians? Isn't that going to make gift giving a little tricky? Not to mention how you schedule all of your off times!"  
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," said Matt simply. "Now, tell you what. We'll take you out to dinner tomorrow night, our treat. Just make sure you put on your finest; the dress code is formal and they're rather strict about that."  
  
Ruthie had the best night's sleep she had in a long time, despite all the police and fire sirens blaring through the depths of the evening. The following night, she walked hand-in-hand with Matt and Sarah. He was wearing a tuxedo with a blue tie and sash, while she was wearing a red velvet dress. For her part, Ruthie put on the same dress she wore the day Peter was baptized and she was acting as his godmother.  
  
The big yellow taxi drove them through the maze of Manhattan's urban jungle. As they came close to their destination, Matt looked around at the tall skyscrapers.  
  
"I used to love Windows on the World whenever I visited the Battery as a kid," he said shuddering, "until those cowards destroyed WTC. You would've loved that view, but I guess we'll have to settle for this."  
  
Ruthie looked outside the window on the side she was sitting on. Her jaw dropped. It was the Rainbow Room.  
  
"Right on time," said Sarah, as she paid the taxi driver and gave her an extra tip for sticking to the schedule. The threesome walked into the building, and found their way to the famed restaurant, one of the busiest landmarks in town. But when they stepped inside, it seemed almost deserted, except for one side.  
  
Ruthie couldn't believe it. It was the whole gang: Eric and Annie with Sam and David in each of their hands; then Richard and Rosina; Mary and Robbie with their son Martin; Lucy and Kevin with their kids, Jennifer, Charles and Rhiannon; Simon and Deena and their daughter Annie; George and Will, and Eric's sister Julie with Hank Hastings and their children. The two dogs were also there, all dressed up as best as they could. At the end of the line was Ginger, and behind her, waiting for nearly an hour, was Peter Petrovsky.  
  
"Good evening, Ruthie," said Peter. "Welcome to the Rainbow Room. It's ours for the night!"  
  
He motioned to the stage, and fourteen people stepped out: a string quartet, a five-member brass ensemble, a piano player, and finally a vocal quartet (two men and two women, singing the four parts of harmony). They took their places on the stage and began with their rendition of one of Ruthie's favorite songs: "Love Shack" by the B-52's.  
  
"You bought out the Rainbow Room, for me?" said Ruthie, in total disbelief.  
  
"I bought it for us," he said. "And there's plenty more where that came from."  
  
He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a box. Ruthie knew what had to be inside, so quickly she opened it up before she could drop it. It was a white gold ring with a three carat diamond and matching earrings. When she looked down, Peter had already gone down on one knee.  
  
"Ruthie Bernadette Camden," said Peter carefully, looking up into her eyes, "would you be my wife?"  
  
Ruthie then realized it had all been a setup. She had planned this trip for months, so Peter had shadowed her every move, wanting to take her completely by surprise. It worked. She knew a chance like this only came once in a lifetime and he wasn't going to outdo himself again for her, not after her repeated ultimatums to her. Bursting into tears, she replied:  
  
"Yes, Peter James Petrovsky. I would be honored to be your wife!"  
  
The whole group cheered, as Peter got up, slipped the finger on his fiancée, and they kissed each other for a whole minute. The band quickly changed pace, and played what had been Paris' favorite song, "Sometimes When We Touch," as the newly engaged couple slow-danced.  
  
The ensuing dinner was sumptuous, and the remainder of the evening was a full-blown family reunion. As everyone left, Matt and Sarah gave Ruthie the keys to their apartment, saying it was hers and Peter's for the night. They would be bunking with Sarah's parents in their hotel room.  
  
Ruthie then recalled her promise to Peter that she would sleep with him when he proposed to her. She said thanks, and took the keys as a limousine pulled up to take her and Peter back to the apartment.  
  
"Wow, you really think of everything!" she told her fiancé as they stepped inside, pulled up the privacy screen. They were making out continually until they pulled up to the apartment.  
  
She told him he didn't have to keep his promise, that it was okay. Peter asked her if they could at least make out some more. She readily agreed.  
  
A couple of hours later, they were lying in each other's arms, still in their formal clothes that were now totally wrinkled. Peter was just falling asleep when Ruthie thought of something.  
  
"You know, Peter," she said thoughtfully, "we wouldn't have made it to tonight, if it hadn't been for what happened two years ago at that camp. If we hadn't made love that night, we hadn't lost our virginity to each other, we never would've found out about just how much of a creep Frank Henderson was; especially how he managed to ruin both his sisters' and his cousin's daughter's lives. He'd still be alive, still able to do his damage, still ensuring all his victims, Lucy included, suffered in silence."  
  
"I know Ruthie," said Peter, squeezing his fiancée tighter as if they had just made love right there and then. "Somebody had to stop him."  
  
"That's true, Peter," said Ruthie, "but why did it have to be us?"  
  
The two fell asleep. They knew the coming year was going to be a tumultuous one. They quickly prayed it was nowhere near as bad as the previous two.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED . 


End file.
